


Persona 5: Infinity

by DarkRoseChan



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon - Video Game, Drama, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Humor, Plot Twists, Shounen, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2019-11-04 10:05:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 158,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17896451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkRoseChan/pseuds/DarkRoseChan
Summary: In a world ruled by desires and corruption shrouded with mysterious and unexplained incidents that terrorized the country, a group of young hearts aroused and bloomed fighting the unmerciful current of injustice and unfairness.The young Ren Amamiya was like a prisoner who's held captive by his own heart trying desperately to break free from its cage and flap its wings soaring freely in the sky. Condemned for a crime he didn't commit and thrown behind bars. Hurt by his own parents, expelled from his school, bullied by his classmates, and looked as scum by the eyes of society.In a whim of fate, he met Emiko Hayashi; a girl with an untold secret locked away.Fallen deep in the abyss of the darkness of her own heart and made an unspoken vow to herself to suffer alone.Destiny plays its unpredictable games and pulls its strings. Gods pull their Red String Of Fate causing the meeting of these two emotionally broken teenagers after Ren moved away temporarily from his hometown to Tokyo and getting involved in a lifetime case, solving the mystery of the cases that are terrorizing the country.They both got involved deeper with each other, flipping their worlds upside down...





	1. Character Info

  
  
_(Normal)_  
  
  
_(Flare)_  
  
  
_(Manga)_  
  
  
_(Animation)_

_(P5R)_

__

_(P5S)_

  
  
_(P5D)_  
  
  
_(PQ2)_  
  
_  
_ (Flare PQ2)

  
*******  
  
**Name:** Emiko Hayashi

 **A** **lso known as:** Mikki (by Ryuji)  
                                Flare (Code Name)  
                                Miss show-off (by Morgana)  
                                Inmate (Caroline & Justine)  
                                Titania (Igor)  
                                Fatal Dame  
                                Venomous Empress

 **Japanese Name:** 林恵美子  
                               ミッキ  
                               フレア  
                               ミスショーオフ  
                                囚人  
                                妖精女王

  
**Romaji:** _Hayashi Emiko_  
_Mikki_  
_Furea_  
_Shujin_  
_Titānia_  
  
**First Appearance:** _Persona 5_  
  
**Affiliation:** Phantom Thieves of Hearts  
  
**Date of Birth:** April 30  
                         c.1999  
  
**Age:** 16-17  
  
**Zodiac:** Taurus  
  
**Height:** 170 cm (5'7")  
  
**Blood Type:** O  
  
**Love Interest:** ??????  
  
**Melee Weapon:** Long sword  
  
**Ranged Weapon:** Sniper, Two-Handed Rifles  
  
**Arcana:** The Hope  
  
**Initial Persona:** Valkyrie  
  
  
**Ultimate Persona:** Brynhildr

  


**Ultimate Persona (P5R):** Eir

**Theme:** "Break In To Break Out"  
               "IT'S TOO LATE"  
  
**Japanese VA:** Aya Hirano  
  
**English VA:** Caitlin Glass  
  
*******  
  
_"Good and evil exist in this world and we don't have the right to mess with this balance. Not me, not you... and definitely not you."_  
  
-Emiko Hayashi, _Persona 5_  
  
  
**Emiko Hayashi** is a playable character from _Persona 5_. She is a student at Shujin Academy who lives a double life as a Phantom Thief. And the childhood friend of Ryuji Sakamoto.  
  
**_Appearances_**

• _Persona 5/Royal:_ Playable Character; Hope Confidant

       ⚬ _Persona 5 (Manga):_ Major Character

       ⚬ _Persona 5: Mementos Mission:_ Major Character

       ⚬ _Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers:_ Major Character

       ⚬ _Persona 5 The Animation_ : Major Character

       ⚬ _Persona 5 The Stage_

• _Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight:_ Playable Character

• _Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight:_ DLC Partner

• _Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers_

• _Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth:_ Playable Character

       ⚬ _Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Roundabout Special:_ Main Character

• _Persona 5: Thievery In Blue:_ Major Character (Granblue Fantasy collab event)

  
**_Design_**  
  
Emiko is a tall girl who has thin hair tied in small ribbons by the sides of her face, with the back cut short. She has dark brown hair in and also wears a pair of half-rimmed glasses with oval-shaped lenses. Her skin is pale and she has black eyes.  
She wears the default female Shujin uniform without any changes in it. Emiko is the only main female character to wear the uniform without any changes in it. Her winter uniform consists of a creamy turtleneck t-shirt along with a black blazer, black and red pleated plaid skirt, black pantyhose and black ankle boots.  
  
In summer, Emiko wears the default Shujin summer uniform which consists of the creamy-colored short-sleeved shirt along with the black and red pleated plaid skirt, white ankle socks, and black shoes.  
  
As a Phantom Thief, Emiko wears a big white masquerade mask along with a desert-colored military jacket, bulletproof armor of the same color, and combat boots, as well as a white muffler around her neck.  
Unlike her real appearance, her hair becomes pale blue that was casually short, with a tuft of hair tied up on both sides of her forehead, and her eyes become indigo-colored.  
  
Emiko's winter attire consists of a light orange sweater, a red plaid skirt, black leggings, and red boots.  
  
During summer, she wears a short-sleeved orange shirt over a red-and-white striped spaghetti strap top, a white skirt, and white sandals.  
  
In _Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight_ , Emiko's attire is different from her other friends who modified their school uniforms.  
She wears a middle ages-themed top along with a purplish blue bolero, black skirt, dark leggings, and matching purplish blue and white shoes.  
  
**_Personality_**  
  
_"Thank you... for choosing to believe in someone like me."_  
  
-Emiko Hayashi to Ren Amamiya

  
  
At first glance, Emiko seems like a cool and calm girl who doesn't talk or interact much with people.  
However, Emiko has a violent temper once angered, best seen with her interactions with Ren. She becomes hostile, aggressive, and rude to him, and yet she claimed that he's the first person to make her extremely angry.  
  
Despite all this, Emiko, while perhaps hard to approach, is generally a friendly person and does not mind helping others.  
However, she can be a fragile-minded character due to her childhood incident. When reminded of it, she'd be on the verge of collapsing and undergo a mental trauma.  
  
After the successful change of Kamoshida's heart, Emiko's childish whims and real personality begin showing.  
  
It is shown that she has an unusual kind heart and self-independence. She cannot abandon another in trouble and takes the battles very seriously and is determined to clear it.  
  
Emiko is also somewhat proud and will not hesitate to get physical with those that challenge her or make fun of her and how she tends to make anime references most of the time. She is not afraid to act out on her own and will take matters into her own hands from time to time.  
  
Starting from Kaneshiro's Arc and to the end of Okumura's Arc, Emiko's old personality seems to be returning by keeping a distance from her friends and isolating herself away returning worse than before.  
She becomes mentally broken and easy to be manipulated.

  
**_Profile_**  
  
_"If you think you know me, then you better reconsider."_  
  
-Emiko Hayashi, _Persona 5_

**тнιѕ ωση'т вє мєηтισηє∂ тσ ανσι∂ ѕρσιℓєяѕ!!!**

 

 _ **Confidant**_  
  
_"For a high schooler, you're quite skilled in using firearms. I bet you had someone to teach you how to use a gun._  
_Who's that person?"_  
  
-Sae Niijima talking about Emiko Hayashi, _Persona 5_  
  
  
Emiko has the Hope Arcana.  
Maxing this Confidant makes Valkyrie evolve into Brynhildr and unlocks the fusion of Nero.  
  
Emiko's Confidant revolves around her trying to move on with her childhood incident and learn how to love herself and others more.

**_Etymology_ **

Emiko has much different meaning according to the writing in Kanji. But the kanji in her name "恵美子" means "blessing," "favor," "beauty," and "child." Her surname Hayashi literally means "woods."

**_Trivia_ **

• The name Titania which Igor calls Emiko with means "Queen of the Fairies."

• Her Arcana "The Hope" is like the Aeon and Faith Arcana, the Hope is not found in standard tarot decks. The Hope Arcana is present in the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck. It focuses on the qualities of hope, faith, healing, aspirations, success, and finally, enlightenment.

• Emiko Hayashi is also the name of a Japanese film producer.  
  
• The original design of Emiko is Shino Asada from _Sword Art Online II._  
  
• Her design as a Phantom Thief is originally Sinon from _Sword Art Online II._  
  
• Emiko is the only main female character who wears Shujin Uniform without any additions.  
  
• It's said that Emiko speaks English and enjoys the old English literature. However, she's not as good as Ann.  
  
• Her most favorite author of all time is Agatha Christie.  
  
• Emiko said several times that she wishes to go to the USA.  
  
• Emiko's nickname Mikki was originally given to her by Ryuji when they were kids which means in Japanese "Mickey." He said that he gave her that nickname because her voice reminded him of the famous Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse.  
  
• Emiko's favorite food is anything that has chocolate as the main ingredient.  
  
• Her initial Persona (Valkyrie) and ultimate Persona (Brynhildr) are both fictional creatures from the Norse mythology. These two Personas were heavily influenced by her love for old literature.

• Eir is the third-tier Persona of Emiko Hayashi in Persona 5 Royal. She's best known for being a goddess or a valkyrie in the Norse mythology.

• Emiko is seen to be taller than most of the girls in Persona 5. She's 170 cm.  
  
• Emiko is an Otaku who adores watching anime, reading manga, playing anime video games, and make references.  
  
• She tends to break the fourth wall a lot.  
  
• For the first time in a social link, a confidant saves the life of a protagonist and not the opposite way.  
  
• Her Japanese VA Aya Hirano is known for her roles as Lucy Heartfilia from _Fairy Tail_ , Monaca Towa from _Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls_ , Imai Nobume from _Gintama_ , and Haruhi Suzumiya from _The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya._

• Her English VA Caitlin Glass is known for her roles as Hannah Annafellows from  _Black Butler II_ , Hinata Hino from  _Future Diary_ , Petra Ral from  _Attack on Titan_ , Kyoko Kirigiri from  _Danganronpa the Animation_ , Hiromi Shiota from  _Assassination Classroom,_ and many more.


	2. ~Prologue~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it all began.

**_"The train that's heading to Tokyo is almost here. Please stay away from the platform for your own safety."_ **

"It's almost time..." A teenage boy spoke as grabbing his bags and belongings standing up from the waiting seat.

When he got up, his tall and skinny body revealed more than his previous sitting position. His dark raven hair was oddly frizzy and curly, and his sad, deep grey eyes reflected from behind the lenses of his black-framed glasses.  
A small cloud of fog formed out of his mouth as he let a deep sigh escape his lips due to the coldness of the early morning.

"Heh... you didn't have to kick me out of the house like this, you know." The boy spoke as chuckling sadly "Mom, dad..."

With every second passing, the male continued to stare down on his feet as the train of his endless thoughts continued to rush inside his mind, and his mixed feelings started to overwhelm him getting the upper hand against his calm and cool composure due to the light sniffs and sobs escaping him already.

_"Damn brat, I'll sue...!"_

The dark-haired teenager gritted his teeth in pure anger as clenching his fists as tightly as he could, hopelessly and desperately trying to maintain the blood that's boiling inside of his vessels as these words echoed through his ears.

"Under probation, huh? So suddenly I'm the bad guy now...?" He spoke to himself as still trying to cool his nerves down.

**_"Attention, the train will arrive shortly. Thank you for waiting and hope you'll have a safe trip."_ **

His eyes scanned the railway as the sound of the train of coming closer and closer until it stopped safely in the station and his doors automatically opened and the passengers getting inside.  
The dark-haired's feet stepped forward towards the entrance of the train before stopping his tracks and looking behind at his hometown for the last time, letting a nostalgic sigh come out of him, then decided to step in.  
For his luck, the train was not too crowded, so there were fairly vacant seats available. Taking an empty spot right next to the window, and placing his bags down he fixed his gaze out to the window watching silently how the train was moving away from his hometown towards the capital Tokyo.

_"I'll be spending a year in Tokyo attending a school named Shujin Academy, I believe... since it was the only school that accepted me regardless of my criminal record. And living under the custody of some man who owns a café. I was trying to save a woman from a drunk man only to go to jail? I mean,_ _**what the fuck is this?** _ _What kind of society we're living in?"_

Those thoughts rushed inside the teenager's head aimlessly while still trying to remain calm so he doesn't bother the other passengers with his problems that probably nobody would like to hear about.

_"Ever since I got out of jail, nothing remained the same anymore. Bullied by my own classmates and friends before getting expelled from my old school. Didn't feel welcomed by my parents anymore. Looked down by society as worse than shit. And above that all, feeling rejected everywhere I walk into..."_

_"...And now I became a victim of this sick society we all live in. I just want someone to accept me for the way I am. Someone I feel happy and comfortable around. Someone I can entrust my secrets and pains too. I want friends who'd never leave me in any situation no matter what happens. I want to feel happy again with real friends. I just want..."_

_"...Someone to save me."_

*******

At the same time, a train was making its way to its destination.  
However, unlike the train the teenage boy was in, this one was completely crowded and occupied by people, and students mostly chatting and speaking on their phones like every day before the school day starts.  
The train was crowded to its fullest to the point that there were no spots left for standing.

Between the crowd of people, a lonely girl with short dark brown hair was lucky enough to be sitting down and scanning her eyes on the screen of her phone.  
Her finger scrolled down between several pages online.  
She was wandering through the pages aimlessly until her pupils fixed on a certain article that caught all of her senses.

".......!"

A soft gasp escaped her lips on the contents of the article that had a picture of herself attached in it.  
She read the whole thing to the end, her eyes remained wide, and her fingers gripped tightly around the phone to the point of almost breaking it.  
Anger rushed through her veins and felt her blood was boiling inside of her body but decided to calm down and take a deep breath before doing anything irrational.

"It's out now, huh...?"

An unreadable expression was on her face before her dark eyes were completely hidden by the sunlight that reflected on the oval lenses of her glasses.  
It seemed like all of her movements died down and sat in her place steadily drowned with the voices of people around her that seemed to be fading away in her ears.

While her train was moving, another train came along in the parallel line in the opposite direction.  
Though it was only for a mere second, the raven-haired boy and the brown-haired girl spotted each other through both the trains' windows.

The world around them moved in slow motion for them at that moment before everything went back to normal and both trains went away, each to its destination. The boy to his unknown destiny, and the girl to a mysterious fate.

*******

What's the story of the mysterious raven-haired boy? Why is he leaving his hometown and going to Tokyo for a year? What did he do that he's on probation according to him? Who's the brown-haired girl and what's her connection to the boy?

Will these questions remain unanswered? Or will fate play its unpredictable games?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The author doesn't own Persona 5 nor its plot, they're merely properties for Atlus.Inc and everyone involved in it.
> 
> The author only owns her original character along with other extra characters that will show up during the storyline and will play important roles, also she owns the plot twists that'll be added on the story's plot and the backstories of some of the canon characters.
> 
> This story will contain spoilers for Persona 5, so in case you didn't finish the game, the author highly recommends you do not read further than this point. You have been warned.
> 
> And now, the author deeply wishes to all of you a wonderful and unforgettable experience reading her work.
> 
> Author: Rand Talih
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Jan 13/2019


	3. Chapter 01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The arrival of Ren Amamiya to Tokyo. New home and new school. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my honor to present to you the first chapter of my very first Persona 5 fan fiction. Now then, let's make this an unforgettable experience, shall we?)

It was just like any other day in the capital of Japan; Tokyo.  
The sun was shining, birds were singing, and the train heading towards Tokyo filled with passengers.  
A certain raven-haired boy has already fallen asleep with his head lowered downwards.  
The trip towards Tokyo was going as smoothly as planned, and the destination was drawing nearer.

"......!" The raven-haired boy woke up from his deep slumber looking around him to notice that he's still on the train.

"I must've fallen asleep..." He mumbled to himself.

 _ **"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for riding with us today. We will be arriving at Shibuya shortly. This is the last stop."**_ The train's microphone said.

The boy looked down with a frown planted on his face as if an unpleasant memory came back to him.

*******

_**Flashback** _

_A drunk middle-aged man forcefully grabbed the wrist of a young woman against her own will._

_"Whoa, whoa! What's going on here?" He asked._

_"Please, help!" The woman pleaded._

_The raven-haired walked towards the man and grabbed him by his shoulder to spin him towards his face, but the drunk man tripped and fell backward which caused him to injure his forehead. The woman stood behind the teenager gasping in fear while he looked at his own hands while the man stood up._

_"Damn brat. I'll sue...!"_

_Before he could even know it, two police officers held him by his two arms dragging him towards the car._

**_End Of Flashback_ **

*******

He stared on his lap narrowing his eyes and frowning at such an unpleasant flashback that he really didn't want to remember.  
What brought him back to reality was the gossip of two female students next to him.

"What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?

"It's the truth!"

"To a person, though? That's gotta be a joke. You really love all that occult stuff, don't you?"

"A mental shutdown, huh...?" The raven-haired mumbled to himself before staring at the window behind him "This is my stop; Shibuya..."

"Isn't Akechi-Kun awesome?" A female student suddenly exclaimed.

"A famous detective, and still in high school! It's like he's living in another world!" Her friend also exclaimed watching the news on YouTube from her phone.

"Goro Akechi solves another case, following Naoto Shirogane being billed as 'the second coming of the Detective Prince,' and--" The newscaster was talking.

".........?!" The two girls looked puzzlingly at the boy who was watching the news from the girl's phone.

"A-Ah! Excuse me!" The boy apologized nervously.

*******

_**\------Shibuya------** _

After the train finally reached its destination to Shibuya in Tokyo, the raven-haired boy walked outside the station towards the street staring at the screen of his phone.  
He lifted the gaze of his grey eyes up to see the crowds of people walking in the roads, non-stop.

"So, this is Shibuya..." He mumbled under his breath.

What caught his attention back to his phone was the sound of a beep.  
He looked at the screen to notice an ominous-looking red eyeball app.  
He drowned while trying to click it, but it wouldn't open.  
Suddenly, everything around him froze in place, as if the time had stopped.  
Everything was frozen, people, images, etc...

"Wh-What happened here...?" The raven-haired asked while looking around him.

He looked at the distance to see a light blue flame burning and taking the form of a demonic face, then the shape of his own face with his eyes colored in golden grinning darkly.

At that moment, everything returned back to normal, and everything moved normally again.

"What was that all about...?" He mumbled to himself.

The teenager looked around him in confusion about what he just saw, then he decided to delete that weird app that appeared on his phone out of blues.  
He continued his way to head to the subway station to ride another train to Yongen-Jaya.

*******

_**\------Yongen-Jaya-------** _

The raven-haired teenager arrived at the wanted destination to the extremely narrow backstreets of Yongen. He looked at the surroundings around him once more.

"Starting today, Sojiro Sakura will be taking care of me. His house should be in the backstreets of this residential area..." The raven-haired murmured.

"Excuse me...!" He ran towards an officer who was standing just a few feet away from him.

"Yes?" The unfriendly officer asked.

"I want to ask for directions." The raven-haired said while showing him a paper with an address scribbled on it.

"Hm? You want to get to the residence of that address...? It's in an alley a bit further back. Take a right after that apartment with the stairs." The unfriendly officer said.

"Thank you, sir." The raven-haired thanked him before continuing his way.

He walked in the direction given by the police officer to an even narrower alleyway that showed a residential house with a delivery van parked outside.

"The nameplate here says **'Sakura'**. It looks like this might be Sojiro Sakura's house..." The raven-haired told himself before ringing the doorbell.

He waited for a couple of minutes looking around him, but even after ringing the doorbell. It didn't look like anyone will answer the door.

"Maybe he's gone out..." The raven-haired trailed while scratching his hair "Such a trouble..."

"Looks like no one's home..." A parcel deliveryman spoke up.

"Do you know where he could be?" The raven-haired asked.

"Oh, yeah... Sakura-San's usually at his café around the time. Well, Leblanc's in the back alley so I should make my other deliveries first..." The parcel deliveryman said "Mmm, next I need to take this package to..."

"Leblanc... a French name, I see..." The raven-haired mumbled "All right then, thanks."

The teenager fled away from the house towards the back alley as he heard looking for the café.  
He reached the narrow alley and stopped his tracks when he saw a café that had the name **'Leblanc'** which he murmured written in elegant letters.  
Hesitantly, he opened the door after taking a deep breath to get welcomed by the aroma of coffee and the retro, yet the soothing atmosphere of the shop.  
He walked inside to see two costumers sitting and the manager reading a newspaper.

The manager had slicked-back dark hair with a receding hairline, a chinstrap beard with a goatee that flares out, and wore glasses.  
He wore a pink dress shirt that went up to his elbows, a black striped apron with white vertical lines and two buttons at the top, khaki capris, and white shoes.

"A public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still in it! The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up." A tabloid show host said on TV.

"........?" The raven-haired had a puzzled look after hearing the news.

"How frightening." An elderly male customer said.

"What could be going on? Didn't something similar happen just the other day?" An elderly female customer added.

"Vertical is... the name of a shellfish used for framing pearls..." The manager was mumbling to himself before he noticed the presence of the teenager "...Oh, right. They did say it was today." He said while leaving the newspaper on the counter.

"Um..." The boy trailed.

"We'll be going now. The payment's on the table." The elderly male customer stood up.

"Thanks for coming." The manager said.

"This place is in the back alley, so there are no worries of a car crashing in here." The elderly male customer said.

"A what now?" The manager asked shockingly.

"There's been a string of those rampage incidents, you know. I just hope that none happen around here." The elderly male customer said.

"It's none of my concern." The manager simply said.

"Haha, we'll see you next time." The elderly male customer said before he and his wife walked out of the café.

"...Four hours for just a single cup of joe." The manager sighed "So, you're the one, huh?"

"I'm Ren Amamiya. I appreciate this." The teenager named **'Ren'** bowed.

"...Uh-huh. I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody over the next year." Sojiro said "I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you're the one, huh?"

"Huh...?" Ren looked puzzled.

"Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other, and--- well, not that matters. Follow me." Sojiro said while taking the stairs up towards the attic.

Ren blinked several times at the unbearably messy state the attic was when Sojiro spoke "This is your room. I'll at least give you sheets for your bed."

Ren looked around him once more and opened his mouth to say how much the room was cluttered looking like a garbage dump, but respectfully for Sojiro's hospitality, he shut his own mouth.

"You look like you wanna say something." Sojiro said noticing Ren's hesitation.

"Umm... It sure is big." Ren spoke, uncertain of his comment.

"It's up to you to clean up the rest." Sojiro seemed to buy it "I'll be leaving after I lock up each day. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble."

"I understand..." Ren nodded obediently since he pretty much doesn't have a choice.

"Now then... I got the gist of your situation. You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right?" Sojiro asked.

"........?!" Ren gasped softly "You have the wrong idea. I just..."

"I don't wanna hear it." Sojiro interrupted him "I won't ask you about it either. Just don't get me involved."

"........" Ren gritted his teeth.

"That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah? ...And now that you've got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school. The court's ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents also approved." Sojiro said.

"That's pretty much it..." Ren mumbled.

"In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass." Sojiro added.

"........" Ren stared on the floor beneath him trying to conceal all of his emotions.

"It's best you do not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know. Behave yourself for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted." Sojiro said.

"Probation?" Ren questioned.

"Your sentence lasts until next spring, right? That's why you're gonna be here for the coming year. Cause any problems, and you'll be sent straight to juvie." Sojiro threatened "We'll be going to Shujin tomorrow."

"........?" Ren blinked in confusion.

"Shujin Academy. We'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there. There's rarely a place that'll accept someone like you, you know. What a waste of my Sunday..." Sojiro sighed hopelessly.

"Okay." Ren said obediently.

"Your **'luggage'** arrived earlier; I left them over there." Sojiro pointed at a box left on the floor before walking down the stairs.

"Great. I'm being looked down already, even by my own guardian. Just great." Ren sighed deeply before looking at the box.

"It's the cardboard box sent from back home..." Ren knelt down "I could really use some more comfortable clothes now instead of this uniform."

*******

Ren had spent that night more than lonely spending his time by cleaning the room from the dust,  mopping the floor, cleaning the windows, and getting his luggage sent from home from a box.  
He even ate instant ramen by all himself.  
Feeling exhausted, he changed his clothes and laid down on the bed while looking at the ceiling.

"Arrest... trial... criminal record..." Ren mumbled to himself "Still, I couldn't let that go..."

_"That day... I had to go home early..."_

*******

**_Flashback_ **

_Ren was running back to his home when struggling voices caught his attention._

_"Just get in the car!"_

_"Stop it!"_

_'Hm? I thought that I heard a man and woman arguing. It's just up ahead.' Ren thought before running in the direction of the voices._

_"How dare you cross me!"_

_"Stop it! Let me go!"_

_"No...!" The struggling woman cried out._

_"Don't give me that shit..." The drunk man said._

_"Ow! P-Please, stop...!" The struggling woman pleaded._

_'I have to save her. I can't ignore this!' Ren thought before running to the scene._

_"Tch... what a waste of time." The drunk man clicked his tongue "You think you're worth causing me trouble? Huh?"_

_"I-I'll call the police!" The struggling woman tried to threaten the man._

_"Heh, call them if you want! The police are my bitches. They're not gonna take you seriously." The drunk man said._

_"No... stop...!" The struggling woman pleaded in despair._

_What caught their attention was the voices of the police sirens drawing near from the spot._

_"Someone called the cops, huh? Get in the car! Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!" The drunk man said._

_"Hey!" Ren called angrily not taking this anymore._

_"...What're you looking at? Get outta my face! This ain't a show. Get lost, kid." The drunk man said._

_"See? This is all because you're so damn slow! Get in the car!" The drunk man said to the woman yet again._

**_End Of Flashback_ **

*******

Ren was so deep in his awful memories to the point of running his hand into his head furiously.  
Before losing his sanity, he decided to take a book that was next to him on the bed and occupy himself with some crosswords.

" **'Oyster,'** is it?" Ren spoke to himself.

While Ren was thinking of the solution, the voice of his phone buzzing made him snap back to reality and grab his phone.  
He had a puzzled look on his face when he saw the same eyeball app popping back again on his homepage.

"Hm? It's the same weird app that somehow ended up on my phone... but I thought I deleted it..." Ren murmured to himself.

He deleted the app once again and stared back at the ceiling.  
Suddenly, his eyelids were feeling extremely heavy, thus he ended up in a deep slumber not knowing what will wait for him.

*******

_**\------?????-------** _

  
".......!" Ren gasped after he opened his eyes fully.

The raven-haired got up only to notice himself wearing the prisoner's black and white striped suit, and that both of his hands were completely cuffed and that he existed in a small cell.  
He sat down, placing a hand on his head to try to gather his thoughts.

"Fufufufu." A chuckle caught his attention.

He looked at the cell's door to see two girl twins walking towards the entrance.  
The twins both wore a black eye patch with the letter "V" over one of their eyes and a blue prison guard outfit. One of them had a long braid and a hat with the letters "O-Y-O-O," while the other had hair buns and a hat with the letters "X-M-R-N." The letters appeared to spell "OXYMORON." They wore a brassard on their right arm. They also had matching black ties.

He got up from the bed to see the twins blocking the entrance away from him.

"Huh?" Ren dumbfounded.

He tried walking towards the door to feel like he's being held back. Ren looked to see that his left leg was also cuffed with a gigantic metallic sphere.  
When Ren finally managed to get to the door gripping its bars tightly, the two twins stepped aside for the boy to see what lies ahead of him.  
Ren let out a gasp of shock when he saw that there was a table lying in the center of the circular room, and on the table sat a bizarre-looking old man with a long nose, pointed ears, and bulging, bloodshot eyes. He wore a black suit with white gloves.

"Trickster... welcome to my Velvet Room." The old man with long nose spoke.

 

 

"Wh-What's going on here?!" Ren asked while shaking the cell's bars.

"So you've come to, Inmate." The malicious girl spoke.

"The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream." The quiet girl added.

"You're in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!" The malicious girl yelled.

"Master...?" Ren trailed.

"Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a **'contract'** may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well." Igor spoke "I summoned you to speak on important matters. It involves your life as well."

"Important matters?" Ren asked.

"Still, this is a surprise... the state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a **'prisoner'** of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you." Igor said.

"Wait, ruin?" Ren asked wheezing heavily.

"I speak of the end to everything. However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be **'rehabilitated'**. Rehabilitated to freedom... that is your only mean to avoid ruin." Igor said "...Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

"...Wait, what?" Ren gasped.

"You didn't decline, hm? Very well, that is enough. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation." Igor said when the two twins stepped in front of the cell.

"Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here." Igor said.

"Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like." Caroline said.

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators." Justine added "...That is if you remain obedient."

"I shall explain the roles of these two on another occasion." Igor said when both of the girls stepped aside "Now then, it seems the night is waning... it is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually..." Igor said when a bell rang.

"......?!" The sound of the bell caught Ren off guard.

"Time's up. Now hurry up and go back to sleep." Caroline said before everything faded to white.

*******

_**\------The Next Day------** _

"What a strange dream... ruin... rehabilitation... what does it mean...?" Ren mumbled to himself after he changed to his Shujin uniform that consisted of a beige turtleneck beneath a black blazer, plaid trousers, and black shoes.

"Looks like you're up." Sojiro said after he went upstairs to the room "Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district. It'll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain. I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go." Sojiro said leaving the room.

"Sheesh... men aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat." Sojiro sighed.

"It's not like you're getting any ladies in the first place..." Ren mumbled to himself while getting up from the bed.

*******

_**\------Time Skip: Shujin's Gate------** _

At the school's gate, Sojiro stopped his tracks which caused Ren to stop behind him as well.

"Do me a favor and behave yourself, all right? Don't get me wrong--I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble." Sojiro said while walking inside the gate.

"Fine, douchebag..." Ren mumbled while sticking his tongue out of his mouth.

*******

In the principal's office, Sojiro was signing on the transfer papers placed on the desk.  
Apparently, Shujin's principal was overweight and bald man.  
He wore a beige suit, white undershirt, and red bow tie.

"To reiterate, just we're clear, you'll immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side..." The principal said "You might have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind."

"I understand, sir..." Ren said while trying to maintain his laugh at the appearance of the principal's egghead.

"Good. This is the teacher in charge of your class." The principal pointed at the woman standing on his left.

The teacher was a youthful looking woman of medium height and a slender build. She had dark brown unkempt hair, dark brown eyes.  
She wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt striped with white and red horizontal lines, a blue denim skirt, and white kitten heel shoes.

"I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your student ID." Ms. Kawakami said while handing the ID to Ren.

However, as she was handing him the ID, a small piece of paper fell down from her showing a maid's picture, yet Ms. Kawakami picked it up quickly before Ren could see it.

"Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all." Ms. Kawakami said before looking at the principal "...That IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?"

"He is responsible for all his actions." The principal nodded.

"But really though, why me...? There should've been better candidates." Ms. Kawakami complained.

"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening." The principal replied.

"If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to." Sojiro said.

"Sakura-San, please keep a close eye on him. Don't let him cause any trouble outside..." The principal said.

"Well, I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he's in." Sojiro said.

"Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom." Ms. Kawakami said.

"Yes, ma'am." Ren grabbed his student ID.

*******

In the hallways of the school, the two were making their way out of the building when Sojiro sighed and said "They're tearing you like some kinda nuisance... turns out your past follows you wherever you go."

"Tell me about it..." Ren groaned under his breath.

"By the way... if you get yourself expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?" Sojiro reminded.

"Don't worry. I'll be careful." Ren assured him.

"Hmph... school never changes, huh...?" Sojiro talked to himself "Come on, we're going home." He said before they both exited the building.

*******

_**\------Meanwhile------** _

In the outdoors of the school, the male teacher approached Ms. Kawakami who had long black unkempt hair and thick eyebrows.  
His jawline was broad and square. He wore a white sports T-shirt and black sports trousers with double white stripes.

"What a troublesome situation." The jersey-wearing teacher said.

"I can't believe they pushed someone with a record on me. A male teacher would be better suited for this..." Ms. Kawakami said.

"Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?" The jersey-wearing teacher asked.

"Who knows? It was the principal's decision. I was told it's for the school's reputation." Ms. Kawakami said.

"I would've thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that." The jersey-wearing teacher said.

"That's certainly true." Ms. Kawakami agreed.

"Be careful, OK? Then again, if anything were to happen, I'd kick out a student like that right away." The jersey-wearing teacher.

"I keep wishing that he'd just end up not coming to school. Still, that isn't something I should be saying as a teacher..." Ms. Kawakami sighed.

"Well, I should be returning to practice." the jersey-wearing teacher said.

"Oh right. The tournament's coming up, isn't it?" Ms. Kawakami remembered.

"Hehe, having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem itself. We'll have to work hard to make up for the track team too." The jersey-wearing teacher said with a wide grin.

"Yes... that's true." Ms. Kawakami agreed before the male teacher walked away.

"Why'd it have to be my class...?" Ms. Kawakami sighed to herself.

*******

In Sojiro's car, Ren was zoning out of this world staring at the window to see the heavily crowded street with endless cars not moving at all.  
Soon, his attention was drifted to Sojiro after hearing his angry voice.

"Traffic's not moving at all... you're taking the train starting tomorrow." Sojiro said.

"Yeah, I know..." Ren sighed.

"...So how was it? The school, I mean. Think you can manage?" Sojiro asked.

"We'll see." Ren shrugged his shoulders.

"........." Sojiro sighed "Now listen up. Don't even think of doing anything stupid. Still, you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one. It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you." Sojiro said.

"I'm not expecting that anyone would... I'm the trash of society, after all." Ren admitted.

"...If that what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too... what a troublesome kid I've taken in." Sojiro sighed.

"Why did you take me in then?" Ren suddenly asked. The light reflecting on his glasses' lenses were hiding his eyes entirely.

"I was asked to do it, and I just... happened to agree to it. I've already been paid for it too, after all." Sojiro replied "Anyway, don't get yourself involved in any nonsense. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And no matter what happens, pretend like you didn't see it. Got it?"

"Yes." Ren clenched his fist angrily.

"Again, a subway derailed at Shibuya Station, greatly affecting the timetable all across the---" The newscaster was taking on the radio.

"...Another accident? So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately." Sojiro explained.

*******

_**\------Meanwhile------** _

At the subway station, there was a train that was moving at an abnormal speed causing the passengers to scream in panic and banging on the driver's door to make him stop, however the driver never moved an inch with black goo dripping from his mouth, and his eyes were rolled backward.  
The train reached the station and flipped to its side causing severe damages to the railway, but luckily people moved backward quickly.

"That was direct footage from the accident. According to the police, the engineer's life was not in danger despite his injuries. After quarantining, even he could not explain its high speed when approaching the station. No further comments were made. Police are still looking for a possible motive." The news reporter said on TV.

"It's less of an operating accident and more of a crime to the company and the government. Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago-- and deterioration its tracks and the ATC. Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth. There's no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top." A bold man wearing glasses spoke.

"Now on to our main story, with this accident as well as other incidents with unknown motive, the concern is spreading among the general public. Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people...? CNN--" The news reporter was talking.

"Everything's linked--that's what you're thinking, correct?" The bald man asked the gray-haired woman "...Ah well. Are you free? You and I haven't gone for a drink in a while."

"Thank you, sir, but I have another meeting to attend. I must be going." The gray-haired bowed before exiting the office.

While she was walking the stairs down, she met a brown-haired high schooler in the middle of the way.

"Did you ask for me? Is it a case?" The brown-haired asked.

"Not quite. I want to ask your opinion on something." The gray-haired said.

"Sure. Your judgment is quite often correct, though. Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all." The brown-haired asked with a smile.

"Conveyor belt only." The woman said while continuing her way downstairs.

"Aw..." The boy had an annoyed look on his face.

*******

_**\------Time Skip: Leblanc------** _

"Damn, to think there'd be that much traffic... what a waste of time. I wasn't able to open my café today..." Sojiro said while Ren fixed the position of his glasses.

"...Whatever. Just head upstairs." Sojiro said when his phone rang.

"Hey, what's up? ...I'm about to leave right now. Don't worry I'll be there in no time." Sojiro spoke "Uh-huh. I'll see you soon." He hung up.

"Well, I'm off. I'll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Oh, but don't mess up my store. If something goes missing, I'll hand you right over to the cops. You got school tomorrow... you better head off to bed, all right?" Sojiro said before he went out of the shop.

"Sheesh... what a hellish year it's going to be." Ren sighed to himself before deciding to call it a night.

*******

_**\------Time Skip: The Next Day------** _

"I have school today. Hopefully, I can get here without getting lost... and I really don't want to be late for my first day..." Ren mumbled to himself while grabbing his school bag and walking downstairs.

"Oh, so you actually are going to school? Here, I'll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before customers start coming in." Sojiro said.

"Curry...? That's my breakfast?" Ren asked.

"Don't complain. Just eat." Sojiro said.

"All right..." Ren sighed while sitting on the counter and started eating his breakfast.

".......?!" Ren widened his eyes at the first bite before he started digging in quickly, and soon he finished his entire plate.

"It's time for you to go." Sojiro said.

"Thanks for the meal. It was delicious." Ren said politely.

"Huh, turns out you do have manners after all." Sojiro said "...Hurry over to school. You'll end up late if you get lost on the way." Sojiro said.

"Well then, I'm off." Ren said while exiting the store.

After Ren exited the shop in few minutes, Sojiro started cleaning the counter before him while watching the news.  
After a little while, the door's bell rang and a customer walked in.  
He was a regular, so Sojiro served him what he'd usually order and watched the TV together.

"Oh man... did it say it was going to rain today?" A man in a suit asked.

"Huh? It's raining outside?" Sojiro dumbfounded.

"It just started all of sudden... this is why I hate the early spring." The man in the suit said.

"That reminds me... did he take an umbrella...?" Sojiro asked himself.

"Hm? Who's talking about?" The man in a suit asked.

"Don't mind me. So, what'll it be?" Sojiro asked the customer.

"One house blend, please." The man in suit replied.

"The effects of yesterday's subway accident continues on today as various lines suffer delays and---" The newscaster said on TV.

"There's been a lot of nasty accidents lately. You know... I mean the subway accident that the news is talking about... my coworker got caught up in it and is in the hospital now... but that aside, it's kinda creepy. The people who caused these accidents supposedly went crazy all of sudden. I heard that some of them suffered from nervous breakdowns during interrogation." The man in the suit said.

"Huh..." That's all that Sojiro said.

 

 

 

*******

All the students were running in the streets under the rain heading towards school while grabbing their umbrellas. Unfortunately, Ren didn't even think that'd rain on his first day, so he took shelter under a shop listening to students talking while running past him.

"What's the first period again?"

"I don't know!"

"Great, just great. What else?" Ren sighed hopelessly.

Then, he pulled his phone up to look again on his maps to make sure that he was on the right path to school, but he noticed the same eyeball app popping again on the homepage out of nowhere.

"Hm...?"

Ren sighed again when he looked at a hooded figure of a girl walking towards him and standing right next to him while wiping the rainwater away from her blazer.

She pulled her hood down revealing her bright blue eyes and ash blonde wavy hair styled in bushy pigtails, with parted side bangs on the right side of her face. She accessorized with a single yellow hair clip above her left ear, as well as small circular earrings on both ears.  
Her school uniform was modified; the standard black blazer over a white varsity-like hoodie worn long to cover most of her short plaid skirt. Her hoodie had a zipper, a red stripe between two blue stripes at the bottom, and S symbol near the front bottom on one side, and a green four-leaf-clover symbol on the back of the hood. She wore red tights and brown boots with yellow laces.

The ash blonde-haired girl looked around her before noticing Ren staring at her in awe for no reason. However, she decided to brush it off and give him a friendly smile of her own.

"There's..."

And out of nowhere, the ash blonde-haired girl pulled her arm towards Ren's face which caused him to stiffen.  
However, she only just intended to reach a single cherry blossom petal that was stuck in his hair in order to remove it.

"I hate this rain. It scatters pretty blossoms everywhere." The girl said while fiddling with the petal.

She looked back at the road with silence filling the air between her and Ren.  
Her eyes grew wide in horror and almost turned pale which caught the attention of Ren.

Before them stood the figure of a girl standing still.  
Her face wasn't clear since it was covered by her umbrella, but it was clearly a girl since she was wearing the female Shujin uniform.

Her hands moved the umbrella away from her face making her features clear.  
She had a thin dark brown hair tied in small ribbons by the sides of her face, with the back cut short and had black eyes. She also wore a pair of half-rimmed glasses with oval-shaped lenses, and her skin was pale.

The look she had in her eyes was demonic and piercing.  
She eyed the ash blonde-haired deadly as if she was preparing herself to kill her.  
Ren noticed that too and felt shivers running down his spine from the girl's gaze alone only.  
That's when a car drove nearer to the spot revealing its driver as the jersey-wearing teacher from Shujin making the brown-haired walk away.

"Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late." The teacher said.

"Um, sure. Thank you." The girl with pigtails said while riding the car.

"Do you need a lift too?" The teacher asked Ren.

"Nah!" Ren kindly declined the offer with a smile and small wave.

"You sure? Well then..." The teacher paused his sentence.

The girl with pigtails put the seatbelt on and had a sad face for a reason before the window closed.  
The car drove away leaving Ren all behind. That's when the blonde vulgar boy ran towards the spot before stopping.

"Dammit... screw that pervy teacher." A vulgar boy said.

He had short spiky blond hair and dark brown eyes.  
He wore his Shujin's uniform a bit modified. It consisted of the standard black blazer, unbuttoned to reveal a yellow t-shirt with a comic style star symbol and the word **'ZOMG!'** He had plaid trousers rolled up to reveal his ankles. His pants had black suspenders that hang down instead of being worn on his shoulders. He had a white belt. His white sneakers had a rising sun flag motif.

"...Pervy teacher?" Ren asked the blondie who looked at him.

"...What do you want? You plannin' on rantin' me out to Kamoshida?" The vulgar boy asked.

"Kamoshida? What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"Huh? In the car just now, it was Kamoshida. He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is--the king of a castle? Don't you agree?" The vulgar boy asked.

".......?" Ren looked puzzlingly at the boy.

"What's with you? You ain't being very talkative. Don't you know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You're from Shujin, right?" The vulgar boy asked.

"You mean Shujin Academy?" Ren asked.

"What...? No other high school's got a uniform like this." The vulgar boy said before looking at Ren's uniform "A second-year, huh... we're the same grade then. Never seen you before though. What class are you in?" The vulgar boy asked.

"I don't know yet." Ren replied.

"You don't know? Oh! Are you the new transfer student?" The vulgar boy asked.

"Yeah." Ren nodded.

"Then no wonder you don't know him." The vulgar boy said before he cooed leaning close to Ren's face "So you're the guy, eh?"

"Um, **'the guy'**?" Ren asked.

"The rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late." The vulgar boy said when suddenly a purple velvet covered the surroundings.

"Ngh...?!" Both of the boys held their heads.

"Uuugh, my head hurts... dammit... I wanna go home..." The vulgar boy whined before walking away and followed by Ren.

Both the boys walked into a narrow alleyway. The raven-haired stepped into a puddle of water that the liquid splashed in slow motion.  
Ren looked behind him feeling that something wasn't right.

"WHAT?!" The vulgar boy's voice caught Ren's attention.

The raven-haired went towards where the scream came from, only for both of them to widen their eyes in shock and disbelief upon seeing the whole school building replaced with a humongous castle.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm going to end the first chapter here!
> 
> I hope that it's a good start towards the story. Well, it basically follows the game exactly with my OCs and plot twists added ;)
> 
> Hope you'll be excited about future updates and how this story will out.
> 
> Either a great success or a great fail...
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Tue/Jan 15/2019


	4. Chapter 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebellious soul of the Trickster finally arose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowzers... I'm speechless guys... I couldn't believe how much love and support the first chapter had!  
> That's why it's my pleasure to present to you the second chapter!

"We didn't come the wrong way though..." The vulgar boy said while looking back "Yeah, it should be right..."

"What's going on here?" Ren asked.

"Guess we'll just have to go and ask." The vulgar boy said before walking inside towards the castle.

"B-But..." Ren followed him.

******

"Th-That's weird... where's the school...?" The vulgar boy asked looking around the main lobby.

"Did we a make a wrong turn or something?" Ren asked.

"N-No! This has to be it! I mean, it... should be..." The vulgar boy said.

"Well, apparently it's not." Ren spoke.

The blonde vulgar boy pulled his phone out saying "Out of service? Where'd we end up...? The sign was for the school, right?"

"Actually yeah. It was..." Ren trailed.

"Right?! You saw it too!" The vulgar boy said.

".........!" Ren had an alerted expression upon seeing an armored figure carrying a large sword and shield.

"Geez, you freaked me out... who're you? You a student?" The vulgar boy asked.

"Seriously? A student?" Ren gave himself a facepalm at the guy's stupidity.

"Man, your costume's impressive... is that armor real?" The vulgar boy asked "C'mon, don't just stand there. Say somethin'."

After that sentence, another armored figure approached next to the first one surrounding the two teenagers.

"...H-Hey, what's goin' on?" The vulgar boy freaked out.

"We're surrounded! That's what's going on!" Ren replied.

"...This shit's real." The vulgar boy said while one of the two figures approached him.

"C-Calm down! Time out, man!" The vulgar boy freaked out while the other one approached near them too.

"We gotta run!" The vulgar boy said.

"Now you're talking?!" Ren snapped at him.

"Stop standin' around and run!" The vulgar boy said.

However, before the two could run away, two more of these armored figures approached them and trapped them into a circle.

"Ugh, what's with these guys?!" The vulgar boy asked.

"Gah!" One of the armored figures the vulgar boy down on the floor by hitting his backs with its shields.

"Hey!" Ren ran towards him.

"Oww... y-you're gonna break my bones, dammit! The hell you think you're--!" The vulgar boy's words were cut off.

After that, Ren cried out when he got knocked out by a strong hit on his head by one of the shields.  
His body slowly fell unconscious to the floor creating a loud thump.  
He just laid down completely moveless and vulnerable.

"Take them away!" A guard's voice ordered.

*******

The raven-haired boy held his aching head in pain feeling that his surroundings were hazy.  
Slowly, he sat on the wooden bed he was lying on and looked around him to see that he and the blonde boy were thrown in a cell.  
He remembered how the guard hit his head strongly with an iron shield and blacked out after that.

"You all right? You scared the shit outta me..." The vulgar boy said.

"I-I'm fine, you?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, more or less." The vulgar boy said.

The raven-haired tried to stand up on his feet, only to feel the heaviness of his body, thus losing his balance and leaning on the wall next to him.  
His head ached again, but this time pain rushed through his bones and down to his spine and legs.

The vulgar boy looked around him in the cell before speaking "Looks like this ain't no dream... ugh, what's goin' on?!"

Then he ran towards the cell's door banging it with his side screaming "Let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!"

"That's not going to get us out of here, you know." Ren spoke coolly.

"Dammit, where are we?! Is this some kinda TV set...?" The vulgar boy asked angrily.

What made the two of them almost jump from their spots was the sound of loud screams.  
It seemed like the owner of it was experiencing unbearable pain.  
The voice pierced through the boys' ears making their eyes wide in horror.  
On the other hand, Ren could feel his skin growing pale and his heart about to leap out of his chest.

"Wh-What in the...?" Ren trailed.

"Th-The hell was that just now...?" The vulgar boy asked shockingly while reaching the bars of the cell's door. Yet, more screams could be heard.

"Whoa... whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... you're shittin' me, right...?" The vulgar boy asked.

"Hm? You hear that?" Ren asked.

With that said, a troop of armored guards approached the cell as one of them said "Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is **'unlawful entry'**. Thus, you will be sentenced to death."

"Say what?!" The vulgar boy gasped.

"No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle." A familiar voice said with a figure walked close to the two boys.

"Huh? Wait... is that you, Kamoshida?" The vulgar boy gasped.

"Kamoshida?" Ren questioned while looking at the blondie.

It was the same jersey-wearing teacher from Shujin, but something was off about his appearance.  
His eyes were golden and he wore a gold crown, red heart printed cape and pink underwear, leaving his torso and hairy legs exposed.

"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto. Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?" Kamoshida said darkly "And you brought a friend this time... because you can't do anything for yourself."

"This ain't funny, you asshole!" The vulgar boy named **'Sakamoto'** said.

"........!" Ren slightly widened his eyes.

"Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me--the king. The punishment for that is death." Kamoshida smirked darkly.

"I wonder how your little friend Hayashi will react to your death as well." Kamoshida smirked.

"Leave Mikki out of this, you son of a bitch!" Sakamoto yelled.

"Mikki...?" Ren mumbled.

"It's time for an execution! Take him out!" Kamoshida ordered.

"S-Stop it...!" Sakamoto backed away while the guards unlocked the door and walked into the cell.

"...Goddamit...!" Sakamoto wheezed.

Ren backed few steps back in a desperate attempt to remain calm, but in reality, he was scared to bones.  
A cold sweat rolled down on his face and could feel his legs quietly shivering.  
It was the first time in his life he felt so scared like that.

"Hragh!" Sakamoto ran forward and hit one of the guards knocking it down.

"I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, we're outta here!" Sakamoto said.

"Look out!" Ren cried out.

Before Sakamoto could even blink his eye, one of the guards hit him powerfully with its shield directly on his abdomen and knocked him down.

"Nnngh... owww..." Sakamoto hissed in pain while kneeling down.

"Hey!" Ren tried to reach him, but only to get blocked by two guards.

"Just go! Get outta here...! These guys are serious!" Sakamoto managed to talk.

"Oh? Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are." Kamoshida smirked slyly at the raven-haired.

"He ain't a friend..." Sakamoto said "C'mon! Hurry up and go!"

"........!" Ren's expression grew in horror.

_"Why? Why can't I move?! I have to help him, or else...!"_

"What's the matter? Too scared to run away? Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time... I'll focus on this one's execution..." Kamoshida smiled devilishly.

"Take this!" Kamoshida grinned before punching Sakamoto on the face "Lowly scum! Useless pest!" Kamoshida kept punching Sakamoto non-stop until he fell to the ground.

"No, stop...!" Ren widened his eyes.

"*spat*" Kamoshida spat on Sakamoto's bruised face "...Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?" Kamoshida said before one of the guards grabbed Sakamoto by his head and throwing him aside.

"A peasant like you isn't worth beating. I'll have you killed right now." Kamoshida said.

"Stop it!" Ren shouted.

"Hm...?" Kamoshida turned at him "What...? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am." Kamoshida leaned close at Ren's face who was glaring at him deadly.

"That look in your eyes irritates me!" Komashida said before kicking Ren towards the wall.

"Ngh..." Ren struggled to lift his face up.

"Hold him there... after the peasant, it's his turn to die." Kamoshida said while looking back at Sakamoto.

"No!" Ren tried reaching him, but two soldiers pinned him to the wall.

"Poor Hayashi. I can hear her crying over the news of your death already." Kamoshida grinned darkly while slowly walking towards the blondie.

"No... I don't wanna die!" Sakamoto pleaded in despair.

"Hahaha!" Kamoshida laughed.

 ** _"This is truly an unjust game... your chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may be yet a possibility open to you..."_** A soft feminine voice came out of a shiny blue butterfly floating around Ren before it vanished away.

 _ **"What's the matter...? Are you simply going to watch?"**_ A mysterious voice rang inside Ren's head.

_**"Are you forsaking him to save yourself?"** _

_**"Death awaits him if you do nothing."** _

_**"Was your previous decision a mistake then?"** _

"No, it wasn't..." Ren spoke firmly while leaning his face down.

A guard lifted Sakamoto by his neck ready to draw its sword on him to instantly kill him, while the raven-haired started struggling from the two guards' grip.

_**"Very well...I have heeded your resolve."** _

"Aagh...!" Ren screamed loudly as a sharp and unbearable pain attacked his head, and started sweating

_**"Vow to me."** _

" _ **I am thou, thou art I..."**_

_**"Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!"** _

"Aaah...!" Ren screamed again.

_**"Call upon my name, and release thy rage!"** _

"AAAAAHHHH!" That scream was even louder than ever as he lifted his face up.

_**"Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"** _

After the last sentence, Ren lifted his face to up to show his deep onyx eyes that were filming with anger, rage, and rebellion as if he turned to a completely different person and threw the old one away.

"Execute him!" Kamoshida commanded while pointing at Sakamoto.

"That's enough!" Ren shouted.

"What was that...?" Kamoshida had a surprised look on his face while looking back at the raven-haired boy, and the guard let go of Sakamoto's neck.

"You desire to be killed that much...? Fine!" Kamoshida pointed his head at the boy.

The guard who was standing on Ren's left his face with its shield, thus knocking his glasses down.  
Ren got pinned again on the wall, lowering his face down and half passed out from the strong impact of the hit.  
Sakamoto tried to stand up on his feet again but fell down on the floor.  
Kamoshida pointed at the raven-haired in a sign of executing him, as a third guard drew its sword up.

".......!" Suddenly Ren opened his eyes fully.

A massively strong wave of wind blew up knocking the guard who was about to kill him backward. Kamoshida opened his eyes again after the wind settled down with a cold sweat rolling down on his face.  
Ren lifted his face up to sense by his fingers a black and white birdlike domino mask on his face.

He grabbed the anonymous mask by his two hands struggling to remove it from his face, but instead, it got ripped off entirely, thus causing dark and crimson blood to drip all over his face.  
Ren stared at them with his blood-stained face with a wide grin, and yet his eyes turned to golden in color.

"Come, Arsene!" Ren called loudly.

Blue flames covered his face completely taking the shape of a demonic face, and an eerie laugh burst out.  
The flames covered Ren's face completely causing Kamoshida to back in fear, soon the blue flames vanished from his body who was grinning darkly, yet the flames were connected to him with metallic chains before turning to an elegant-looking demonic figure.

The raven-haired's clothes were also entirely changed from his standard Shujin uniform to a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black jogger-style pants, brown-black winkle-pickers, and a pair of red gloves.

Ren lifted his arms up, which caused the demonic figure to flap its wings creating another strong wave of wind blowing all the guards away and Kamoshida crawling away cowardly.

"Wh-What the...?!" Sakamoto gasped in shock and disbelief.

"I am the pillager of twilight-- **'Arsene'**!" The figure spoke while floating behind Ren's back.

"What the...?" Sakamoto trailed.

 _ **"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."**_ Arsene spoke.

"Give me..." Ren trailed before screaming "...your power!"

_**"Hmph, very well..."** _

"Who the hell are you...?! Guards! Start by killing that one!" Kamoshida ordered his guards before they went berserk and transformed into demonic monsters.

"You'll learn the true strength of my men!" Kamoshida grinned psychopathically.

"I'll get back what I lost!" Ren shouted these words.

With that said, Arsene opened his wings causing a strong blue and fiery wind to blow off, turning all the guards into a reddish black aura vanishing in the air.  
Kamoshida yelped while closing his eyes as a chain of silver keys dropped from him.

"What..." Sakamoto trailed shockingly.

Arsene vanished into blue flames towards Ren's face and turned back into the black and white birdlike domino mask he once ripped from his face.

"Hm?" Ren looked at himself in a questioning matter noticing the change in his clothes.

"What was that just now...?" Sakamoto trailed.

"You little...!" Kamoshida groaned angrily while walking towards the raven-haired.

"Aagh!" Kamoshida screamed as being pushed on the ground by Sakamoto.

"You like that, you son of a bitch?!" Sakamoto screamed.

"The key! Lock the cell!" Ren called.

"Y-You mean this?!" Sakamoto asked while looking at the chain of silver keys laying on the ground.

Both of the boys hurriedly ran out of the cell after the blondie picked the key up from the ground and locked it from the outside.

"OK, it's locked!" Sakamoto said.

"Damn you!" Kamoshida yelled.

"Hey...! What was that just now?! And... your clothes...!" Sakamoto said.

"That power..." Ren mumbled to himself while staring at his gloved palm.

After that, a wave of blue flames covered Ren's body completely and vanished after a few seconds to reveal his normal self.

"Whoa, it went back to normal...?!" Sakamoto gasped.

"What in the...?" Ren trailed.

"Waaaaah!" Sakamoto yelped at the sound of Kamoshida hitting the cell.

"You bastards!" Kamoshida screamed.

"God, this is effin' nuts! Anyways, let's scram! You lead the way!" Sakamoto said.

"Let's go!" Ren said while running away.

"Hrah...!" Sakamoto threw the keys away before following the raven-haired.

"Goddamn thieves...! After them! Don't let them escape!" Kamoshida ordered loudly.

The two boys started running away in the depths of the underground prison they were put in that looked like an endless maze of crossroads.  
They jumped across broken bridges to avoid falling into the water that's running beneath them and hid whenever they beard troops looking for them. Yet, many teenagers have held prisoners in cages and cells screaming for help.  
They found long stairs that lead upwards and took it, only to find themselves still in prison.  
Running towards the end of the path they were on which had a bridge lifted upwards, they came across a dead end.

"Another dead end...?" Ren asked.

"Dammit! How the hell're we supposed to get outta here?!" Sakamoto groaned.

"...Hey, you there. Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Look over here!" An unknown voice called.

Both of the boys turned to the source of the voice to see a black cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip and wore a yellow collar.

"What is this thing?!" Sakamoto gasped.

"You're not soldiers of this castle, right? Get me out of here! Look, the key's right there!" The strange creature spoke.

"We're trying to get the hell out of here...! I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!" Sakamoto said.

"Seriously...?" Ren trailed while sweatdropping.

"I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?! Help me out!" The strange creature said.

"...A cat?" Ren asked.

"I am NOT a cat! Say that again and I'll make you regret it!" The strange creature said. And then all of them got alerted upon hearing the voice of troops approaching.

"They're catchin' up already...!" Sakamoto said before looking at his phone "Shit, there's still no service. Ain't there any way to contact someone outside?! How the hell do we get out...?!"

"Hey, you two! Do you want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, right?" The strange creature offered his help.

"This thing sounds like it's all talk..." Sakamoto trailed.

"If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!" The strange creature said.

"Whadda we do...?" Sakamoto mumbled before looking at the black cat "Are you seriously not messin' with us?!"

"If you don't hurry, they'll catch you." The strange creature said.

"All right." Ren walked towards where the keys were hanging next to the cell's door.

"Aren't you agreeing a little too easily? What is that?!" Sakamoto gasped.

"Ahhhh... freedom tastes so great!" The strange creature hopped out of the cell stretching his arms.

"It's soft... and alive." Suddenly, Ren rubbed its head and face.

"K-Knock it off! If you touch me there..." The strange creature freaked out comically before purring.

"L-Let me touch the monster cat, too!" Sakamoto said, a little flustered and jealous.

"Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!" The strange creature said.

"Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again?!" Sakamoto threatened.

"Geez, no need to be so mean to him." Ren said.

"A-All right, sheesh!" Morgana said "Follow me and stay quiet!" Morgana said before running away and followed by the two.

********

_**\-------Meanwhile: Shujin Academy------** _

Mrs. Kawakami was sitting in the faculty office doing paperwork before she looked at the clock hanging on the wall worriedly.

"...It's fourth period already. Sakura-San said that Amamiya-Kun left the house this morning. Should I contact the police...? No, that'll just be more of a hassle..." Mrs. Kawakami talked to herself before looking down.

"What did I do to deserve this...?" Mrs. Kawakami sighed to herself deeply.

*******

_**\------The Castle------** _

All the three ran back towards the bridge; Morgana told Ren to lower the jaw of Kamoshida's statue that's standing next to the bridge and ran across it to the other side safely.

Or that's what they thought...

"A-Aah! Shit... shit, it's them!" Sakamoto cried out while falling on his butt when Ren's clothes changed to that weird attire again along with the mask.

"Tch... you amateur! Stay still!" Morgana said while jumping from behind Sakamoto to in front of him.

"Hey, you! You could fight, right?! Let's go!" Morgana said before lifting his face upwards "Come...! Zorro!"

With that said, a wave of blue flames surrounded the black cat and took the shape of an armored figure wearing a cloak and carrying a sword creating a Z slash with it.

"Y-You got one of those things too?" Sakamoto trembled before he yelped as one of the monsters went berserk.

"Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!" Morgana said confidently while folding his arms.

"Don't mind if I do." Ren smirked while adjusting his red gloves.

"Damn Shadows... they've taken up intercept positions! It means they're holding nothing back and serious to kill us! I'll back you up, so fight like your life depends on it! Let's go!" Morgana said.

"Go down!" Ren said after he summoned Arsene and cast an Eiha on one of the two monsters.

"Hmph, I knew you were an amateur. This is how you fight!" Morgana said.

"Let's go, Zorro!" Morgana cast a wind spell finishing the first monster.

Then Ren struck with his sword finishing the other one and clearing the path ahead of them.

"Not bad. Your Persona's pretty powerful." Morgana told the raven-haired.

"Thanks, you're pretty good yourself." Ren said in a cocky tone.

"Persona...?" Sakamoto trailed "Y'mean that thing that came outta you guys all dramatic-like?"

"Yes. You saw Frizzy Hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that..." Morgana was explaining.

At that moment Ren's clothes went back to his usual uniform.  
"This again...?" Ren asked himself.

"Huh...? He turned back to normal..." Sakamoto said.

"Hm, it looks like you don't have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all--" Morgana's words were cut off.

"Rrgh, that's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense!" Sakamoto scratched his hair angrily.

"Can't you just sit still and listen for once, Blondie?!" Morgana screamed at him.

"Don't call me Blondie! My name's Ryuji..." Sakamoto screamed back.

"Sigh..." Ren sighed while shaking his head hopelessly.

"Actually, there's no time for me to lecture you! You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let's go! Come on, we should hurry. It's not much further to the exit." Morgana said before running away.

After a lot of running, fighting monsters, and securing the way, all the three reached a closed room in the deep areas of the castle that's filled with closed lockers in every corner.

"We're here!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Finally! We're saved...!" Ryuji said before rushing to the door trying to open it.

"Nnh...?! ...It's not openin'!" Ryuji said "D'you trick us, you jerk?!"

"Don't jump to conclusions! Over here!" Morgana said before running to the left.

"H-Hey, wait!" Ren ran behind him.

"Where are we supposed to get out from here?! There aren't even any windows!" Ryuji asked angrily.

"Ugh, amateur..." Morgana mumbled "This is the most basic of basics."

"A ventilation shaft, right?" Ren spoke.

"That's right! As I thought, you're a natural at this. It leads all the way outside." Morgana said.

"I see..." Ryuji trailed "Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!"

"Pretty much, yeah." Ren nodded.

"And a one, and a--" Ryuji said while running and jumping up to take the mesh off.

"Be careful, or else you'll---" Ren' words were cut off.

"Whoa...!" Ryuji said before losing his balance and falling down on the floor powerfully.

"...fall." Ren completed his sentence.

"Oww... crap! The enemy didn't hear us, did they?" Ryuji whispered after he got up.

"I'm pretty sure the whole country of Japan heard that." Ren mocked.

"Seriously, we're finally gettin' outta here...!" Ryuji said happily.

"You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out. Now, hey going." Morgana said.

"But... what about you?" Ren asked the cat.

"There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways." Morgana said.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot." Ren said kindly.

"Heh. You've got manners." Morgana said "Be careful on your way." Morgana said.

After exchanging goodbye, both of Ryuji and Ren jumped up the lockers and crawled inside the shaft to get outside this godforsaken place.

"These two seem useful... especially the Frizzy Haired one, if my judgment's right..." Morgana mumbled to himself.

*******

_**\------The Real World------** _

The two boys returned safely in one piece to the streets of the city, but unexpectedly both of them fell on the ground beneath them harshly on the face in the alleyway they entered.

"Ow!" Ren growled.

"Did we make it...?" Ryuji asked.

"Hold on..." Ren said while pulling out his phone.

 _ **"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."**_ A navigation voice said.

"Huh? Returned...?" Ryuji dumbfounded "...Does that mean we got away?"

"I wonder..." Ren trailed looking at his phone.

"I dunno what to think anymore..." Ryuji trailed "What was all that anyway...? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat! The hell's goin' on?!" He shouted loudly.

"What's with the yelling? Are you students of Shujin? Cutting classes, are we?" An aggressive officer reached the two.

"Huh? No! We were tryin' to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!" Ryuji said.

"Idiot..." Ren facepalmed himself.

"...What?" The aggressive officer asked "Hand over your bag. You better not be doing any drugs."

"Why would you think that?!" Ryuji yelled at the officer.

"Are you his friend?" A timid officer asked the raven-haired.

"F-Friend...?!" Ren stuttered "Something like that."

"Then you should go to school. Take him with you." The timid officer said calmly.

"Like I'm tryin' to say...! I don't know what's goin' on either!" Ryuji snapped.

"We passed by Shujin on our way here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout anymore nonsense, I'll contact your school. Is that what you want?!" The aggressive officer threatened.

"C'mon, say somethin'!" Ryuji whispered to the raven-haired.

"Let's just get going." Ren said to cool the mood down.

"Uh, that's not what I meant..." Ryuji whispered again.

"See ya." Ren said before walking away.

"W-Wait a sec! Is that guy for real...?" Ryuji widened his eyes "...Fine, I'm goin'!" Ryuji said before following the raven-haired.

*******

_**\-------SIU's HQ------** _

"A Minister of Transport announcing his resignation... things are going as planned..." The SIU director chuckled darkly.

"Sae Niijima... that reminds me..." The SIU director sighed deeply "...Better to leave it be for now."

*******

_**\------Shujin's Gate------** _

At the school's gate, both of the boys gasped in shock to see that Shujin returned to its old and normal self instead of that humongous castle.

"Is this for real...? I'm sure we came the same way... what's goin' on here...?" Ryuji asked himself shockingly.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. We received a call from the police." A counselor walked out of the school's entrance talking in a deadly tone.

"That damn cop snitched on us after all!" Ryuji groaned under his breath.

"It's rare not to see you alone. Where were you roaming around until this time?" The counselor asked angrily.

"Uhh... a ca-- a castle?" Ryuji hesitated to speak.

"So, you have no intention of giving an honest answer?" The counselor said.

"What's this about a **'castle'?** " A familiar voice asked. Only for Kamoshida to walk overlooking all normal again.

"Kamoshida?!" Ryuji gasped.

"You seem so carefree, Sakamoto. Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team." Kamoshida said casually.

"Shuddup! It's your fault that--" Ryuji's words were cut off.

"How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!" The counselor scolded the blondie violently "...There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"

"He's the one who provoked me!" Ryuji snapped.

"Provoked you...?" Ren asked.

"Do you really want to be expelled?! In any case, you'll have to explain yourself! Follow me!" The counselor said firmly.

"What? This is bullshit!" Ryuji snapped again.

"Come now, I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame." Kamoshida told the counselor.

"Well, if you say so..." The counselor trailed before looking back at Ryuji "Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."

"Fine..." Ryuji sighed in defense.

"By the way... you're that new transfer student, correct? Ren Amamiya..." Kamoshida asked the raven-haired.

".........." Ren didn' reply.

The counselor walked into the school building followed by Ryuji who was walking the stairs up. He paused mid-way to glare at Kamoshida deadly before he walked into the building.

"...Have we met somewhere?" Kamoshida asked.

"This morning. I saw a girl in your car." Ren replied.

"That's right... I remember now." Kamoshida remembered "...Well, I'll overlook this just for today. I'm sure you've heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you'll be expelled. Understand?" Kamoshida threatened.

"Can you overlook more maybe?" Ren asked.

"Is that supposed to be a joke? I'm not laughing." Kamoshida said.

"Figures..." Ren mumbled to himself.

"At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I'm sure Mrs. Kawakami's tired of waiting." Kamoshida said "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life." Kamoshida said before walking into the building.

"Yeah... new school life..." Ren mumbled quietly before sighing deeply.

The raven-haired walked into the school's building making his way towards the stairs to the second floor to go to the faculty office.  
All the way, Ren never stopped hearing gossiping about the mysterious transfer student who's apparently a criminal and dangerous expressing their worries and disgust about his transfer.  
Finally, when he reached the faculty office, he saw his teacher Mrs. Kawakami sitting on a table.

"Unbelievable... being over half a day late on your first day...? Can you explain yourself?" Mrs. Kawakami asked.

"Well, the truth is... I got lost." Ren replied.

"How could you be lost for this long? It's almost lunchtime. Well, it's probably true that you're not used to the area yet... but you're still way too late." Ms. Kawakami said "Will you pull yourself together? You were given fair warning yesterday. More importantly... I heard that you were caught along with that Sakamoto-Kun?"

"Wait, **'that'** Sakamoto...?" Ren asked.

"Don't get involved with him, OK? He's nothing but trouble. He wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though..." Mrs. Kawakami trailed.

"........."

"...Anyway. Break's almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I'll have you introduce yourself when class resumes. Follow me." The teacher got up from the chair and exited the office.

"By the way, when you introduce yourself... be serious about it even if you're lying to the class, OK? Do NOT say anything unnecessary." Mrs. Kawakami said along the way in the hallways.

"Yes, ma'am..." Ren said obediently.

"...You think that's him?" A sharp-eared female student asked her friend after they crossed with them.

"Huh? The one in the rumors...?" A short-haired female student asked.

*******

 _ **\-------Class 2**_ - _ **D------**_

Ren stood next to his teacher in front of the whole class which never stopped murmuring and chattering among each other at his sudden and late presence.

"Being super late on his first day? He really is insane..."

"He looks normal though..."

"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye..."

"Settle down." Mrs. Kawakami said "...Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Ren Amamiya. Today, we... had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn't feeling well. All right, please say something to the class."

"I'm Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you all, and I hope that I'll spend a fun year with you." The raven-haired said calmly while pulling a smile on.

But something about his smile was not right...  
It wasn't a true and an honest smile at all.

It was a guarded and cautious smile.

"He seems quiet... but I bet when he loses it..."

"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right...?"

"........!" Ren widened his eyes at the last statement.

"...Uhh, so..." Mrs. Kawakami trailed "Your seat will be... hmm... over there. The one that's open. Sorry, but can the people nearby share your textbooks with him for today?"

"This sucks..."

"........." A well-behaved student groaned under his breath.

He had spiky blue-tinted black hair and a relatively average face filled with multiple injuries and a bandage. He wore Shujin Academy's standard winter uniform with the shirt untucked, the suspenders off his shoulders, and without the blazer. He also wore white tennis shoes with green accents.

As Ren was walking to his assigned empty seat, he kept hearing the class murmuring about him, yet he decided to just shrug it off.  
He stopped when he saw the same ash blonde-haired girl with the big pigtails who he saw earlier that day.

"...Lies." The flashy female student mumbled to herself "You were at the station." She told Ren.

"Nice to meet you, Takamaki-San." Ren said while placing his bag down.

"...Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?"

"Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?"

"That means she's cheating on him with Mr. Kamoshida."

"Then again, this is Takamaki-San we're talking about..."

"For real. That side of the room is totally awful."

"Lame." A girl's voice came from behind Ren.

"Hm?" Ren looked behind him before turning behind him.

He widened his eyes upon seeing the same short dark brown-haired girl with the oval glasses who was staring at the ash blonde-haired deadly from beneath her umbrella looking at the window.  
She seemed to notice Ren staring at her and thus, she wore an irritated and disgusted expression.

"What are you staring at, you freak?" The mean girl clicked her tongue.

"S-Sorry." Nervously, Ren turned his back forward.

"Oh. My. God. I can't believe he pissed her off on his first day."

"I bet he's going to be her next victim."

"He has just dug his own grave..."

"Oh, right! The volleyball rally's in two days... everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get the class started. Who's on duty today?" Mrs. Kawakami said.

"Everyone, please rise..." The well-behaved student said.

*******

_**\------Time Skip: After Class-------** _

After classes were finally over, students started walking out of their classes to head home, or to hang out with their friends.  
While Ren was exiting his classroom, he paused at the spot upon seeing his vision shifting between the school's hallways and the castle's.

"Wha...?!" Ren asked himself weakly as holding his head.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Mrs. Kawakami asked after exiting the classroom.

"Is this... a school?" Ren asked.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Ms. Kawakami asked "Also... it seems like people are already talking about you, but I'm not the one who told them. I can't even catch a break... why do I have to deal with this?"

"Don't ask me..." Ren mumbled to himself angrily while placing his hands in his pockets.

"You should head straight home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-San sounded pretty angry." Mrs. Kawakami said "Oh, and about Sakamoto-Kun. Don't get involved---" Ms. Kawakami's words were cut off with Ryuji approaching them.

"Speak of the devil..." Mrs. Kawakami mumbled "What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today."

"Ugh... It was nothin'." Ryuji groaned.

"And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either..." Mrs. Kawakami added.

"Sorry 'bout that." Ryuji mumbled angrily before walking away.

He stopped for a mere second near Ren whispering to him "...I'll be waitin' on the rooftop."

"I'll be there." Ren whispered back before Ryuji walked away.

Mrs. Kawakami sighed deeply before saying "See? That's why I don't want you getting involved. Understood?" She said before walking away.

"This is hopeless..." Ren sighed deeply before taking the stairs up to the rooftop.

*******

_**\-------Shujin's Rooftop------** _

The raven-haired walked up to the rooftop where he found Ryuji sitting on a chair and resting his leg on an old desk waiting for him eating a showa-style fried dough.  
When he saw Ren walking in, he split it and shared it with him.

"Thanks."

"...There you are. Sorry for callin' you up like this." Ryuji said

"Nah, it's alright." Ren assured him.

"I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like **'don't get involved with him'** , huh?" Ryuji asked.

"Yep. She said you're trouble." Ren replied.

"Heh, we're pretty much in the same boat." Ryuji chuckled "I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so gutsy."

"I don't think that's the case though..." Ren said while sitting on a desk.

"...What was all that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle... it wasn't a dream... right? You remember it too, yeah?" Ryuji asked.

"Kamoshida." Ren nodded.

"Well, just 'cause we both remember it doesn't mean much though..." Ryuji trailed "I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah... thanks!"

"You're welcome." Ren said with a smile.

"But man, that Kamoshida we saw there... you prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him." Ryuji said.

"Rumors?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, the ripped mophead. That asshole who was all full of himself at the castle." Ryuji said "No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that..."

"I see..." Ren nodded slowly.

"...I wonder if we can go back to that castle again..." Ryuji trailed "Ugh, forget it. Must've all been a dream! It has to be!"

"........." Ren didn't say anything.

"Sorry to drag you out here like this. That's all I had to say. I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as **'troublemakers'**." Ryuji said.

"Eh? But--" Ren got interrupted.

"I'll come to talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all right? Seeya." Ryuji said while giving Ren a small wave and leaving the rooftop.

*******

_**\------Leblanc------** _

Ren hesitantly opened the café's door only to get greeted by Sojiro's angry face.

"Hey, I got an interesting call from your school today. It's your first day and you're already showing up hours late?" Sojiro scolded.

"I'm sorry about that..." Ren stopped his tracks.

"And here I thought you got up and left on time this morning. Look, just behave yourself. Your life's forfeit if anything happens. You understand the meanings of probation, right?" Sojiro asked.

"I know." Ren replied. The light on his glasses' lenses was hiding his eyes.

"OK then." Sojiro said when his phone rang.

"Hey, what's up?" Sojiro answered the call "...Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll be there in half an hour." Then he covered his phone telling Ren "Hey, what're you standing around for? Go hurry on up to bed."

"...No, I just hired a part-timer." Sojiro continued the call, then talked to the boy again "Don't forget to lock the door and turn all the lights off, OK?" Then he continued the call saying "...Yup. I'm leaving now. I told you, he's a part-timer."

*******

Ren walked up to the attic where his room became, and placed his bag down on the table. The lenses of his glasses shined with light, thus covering his grey eyes completely.

 _"Kamoshida..."_ Ren thought to himself _"A castle... and..."_ An image of Arsene played in his mind.

"Looks like this year won't be so bad after all." Ren spoke to himself "A big castle, having that power, and fighting monsters..."

"What else are you hiding for me, Tokyo...?!" Ren's lips curved into a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, I've decided to end the chapter right here!
> 
> Man, I'm so proud and excited about the direction the story is going to.
> 
> You might be wondering... where's the OC?!
> 
> Don't you worry? I assure you that she'll make her wrecking debut very soon. 😆😉
> 
> I just hope that you liked this chapter, and wait patiently for the upcoming one.
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Fri/Jan 18/2019


	5. Chapter 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bad boy finds his will to stand up against injustice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOHOO!!! GET READY TO ROCK N' ROLL, BABY!!!

**- _\-----Time Skip: The Next Day------_**

A new day, a new school day for Ren, and yet another hellish day of students' endless gossips and chatters about him.  
He was undoubtedly uncomfortable with disapproving looks following him everywhere he went, murmurs and whispers never stopped whenever he passed someone.

Even during class, he didn't survive from gossips and chatters, after all, he was the new hot topic of the school.  
He felt like the world has turned pitch black around him and could only hear the sounds of chatters, whispers, and murmurs all around him.  
When he felt like he was going to lose it, his fingers gripped his hair tightly while leaning his face down.

_"Please, make them stop...!"_

The only thing that saved Ren from completely losing his sanity was the sound of the bell ringing and the teacher ending the lecture.  
Ren's hands moved away from his head as he slowly got up from his desk feeling dizzy.

When he attempted to walk out, the mean brown-haired girl walked past him and _**intentionally**_ bumped her shoulder into his. She didn't even bother herself to stop to apologizing to him.  
As Ren stepped out of class, he saw Kamoshida walking towards the ash blonde-haired flashy girl with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Hey there, Takamaki." Kamoshida greeted with a wide grin on his face "You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents."

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it..." Takamaki replied.

"Hey, now... being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone. You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?" Kamoshida asked.

"Yes, I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy... sorry to worry you." Takamaki spoke.

"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. That's why I asked you out in the first place. Oh, and... be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you..." Kamoshida trailed.

"...Thank you. Please excuse me." Takamaki said before walking away.

"Tch..." Kamoshida clicked his tongue angrily before he left the spot himself.

"........." Ren narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

*******

_**\------Shujin's Gymnasium------** _

"To you!" Kamoshida spiked a mighty volleyball towards Ren who failed to block it and hit his shoulder.

"Come on!" He spiked another strong one which hit the other shoulder of Ren, but this time kneeling on a single knee.

"What's wrong? If you play like that at the rally, the girls will laugh at you!" Kamoshida scolded the raven-haired.

Far outside of the field, Takamaki was leaning her back against the wall while fiddling her fingers with locks of her ash blonde hair.  
She looked at the teacher who looked back at her before turning the gaze of his eyes back at Ren.

"Quit slacking, newbie!" He shouted before spiking a much stronger ball that hit Ren directly in his face causing his glasses to fall from his face.

Surprised and shocked gasps filled the entire gym as Ren flew few feet backward, but managed to remain standing.  
His left cheek was bruised from the powerful and mighty spike, and what made Ren angrier was that he knew it was on purpose.  
He turned his face at Kamoshida sending deadly glares to him.

Kamoshida seemed to gulp nervously at their glares before saying "R-Right, next! Mishima!"

"O-OK!" The boy named **'Mishima'** replied nervously before heading to the other side of the net.

"........." Ren bent down and took his glasses from the floor before exiting the gym, and again between the murmurs of the other students.

*******

_**\------The Courtyard------** _

The raven-haired boy sat all by himself on a bench having a sandwich he bought earlier while rubbing the swollen area on his left cheek.

"Ouch...!" Ren flinched slightly when his fingers brushed against his cheeks feeling pain rushing through his bones.

With a heavy and distressed sigh, he lifted his face up only to see a scene that caught his fullest attention.  
It was the mean dark brown-haired who he didn't catch her name yet sitting down across him and reading a book.  
It seemed like she was there before him since he came to the courtyard only a few minutes ago.

He watched her fingers so delicately tucking some of her hair behind her ear before continuing to flip the pages of her book.  
Without much thinking, Ren got up from his place and approached the girl with a smile on his face.

"Can I sit down?"

The mean girl gave Ren a disapproving look before saying "I don't care."

"What are you reading?" Ren asked as he sat down.

"It's a book called **'None Of Your Business.'** "

That statement caused Ren to sweatdrop since the sarcasm was _very_ obvious in it.  
Then again, his curiosity got the better of him by leaning to his side to steal a peek at the book.

"Wait, I recognize this book. Isn't this Agatha Christie?" Ren asked.

"If you know, then why asking me?"

"I was just trying to start a conversation--"

"Well I don't want to talk to you, so how about you scram from here, new kid?"

Now that caught Ren off guard causing him to slightly widen his eyes.  
The girl's hostility and rudeness towards him were ultimately unexplainable and uncalled for since he didn't even know her, but that never stopped her from being so mean to him.

She must've heard the rumors about him too...

"I'm sorry to bother you." Hurt, Ren attempted to leave.

"All right, let's cut through the bullshit." The mean girl slammed her book close violently "You're here to ask about the rumors, aren't you?"

"Rumors? What rumors?" Ren blinked in confusion.

"The rumors about me--" She paused after processing his question "Wait, you don't know about the rumors?"

"No."

"That's weird... I'm surprised they haven't reached you yet. News moves around really quickly in this school. Then again, there are some shady rumors regarding you too." The girl stated blankly while standing up.

"Um..."

"You better bandage this bruise." The mean girl looked at him from the corner of her eye "Or people might think that I punched you or something."

"........" Ren watched the girl walk away silently.

 

 

*******

\------ _ **Time Skip: After School------**_

Ren exited the school building while thinking about the girl's words to him.  
There were rumors about her too? How come he never heard anything about that?  
He thought that maybe it was due to him being the hot topic of the school, but that fact left him curious.  
As he was thinking hard about that, he spotted a familiar blonde-haired boy waving at him.

"Yo." Ryuji greeted with a friendly smile.

"Hey, what's up?" Ren greeted.

"I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday. I tried tellin' myself it was all just a dream... but I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida after, all. I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what. And y'know, you're the only person I can rely on for this stuff. So, you're in?" Ryuji asked.

"I understand how you feel, I really am. So of course I'm in. What's next?" Ren replied.

"Ooh... looks like I managed to talk some sense into you. I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you're walkin' to the station, right? Let's go together. Lemme know if you notice any other weird buildings on the way." Ryuji grinned widely.

 _"He doesn't seem like a bad guy at all. I should probably just go along with this..."_ Ren thought.

*******

_**\------The Street------** _

On the way in the street, Ryuji paused his tracks to speak with Ren saying "If a huge castle like that really exists, I'm sure we'll find it in no time." Ryuji said "...When'd they build something like that though?"

"Don't ask me..." Ren shrugged his shoulders.

 

 

Ryuji took a quick glance at his surroundings before saying "We walked that way from here, right?" 

"Yeah, I remember that we walked into a small alley." Ren spoke.

"...All right, this way. Lemme know if you notice something." Ryuji said before walking in the alley.

Retracing their old steps which they took yesterday as they could remember, the two boys reached the front of the school building yet again but gasped in shock upon seeing it in its normal self.  
It was truly something they didn't see coming at all.

"Huh...?!" Ryuji dumbfounded "We're at school... there wasn't anything out of place along the way, right? I didn't see no castle either..." Ryuji trailed "...We must've made a wrong turn somewhere. Let's try again."

"Again...? Will that really work?" Ren asked.

"Don't worry. I won't mess up this time. Let's go." Ryuji insisted.

And of course much to Ryuji's enthusiasm and determination, they tried again, but with no result at all whatsoever...

"For real...?" Ryuji lowered his head.

"........." Ren grunted.

"Is it smaller than we think it is? What do you think?" Ryuji asked.

"Check on your phone." Ren spoke up.

"I already did that. I didn't see anything like it around here..." Ryuji said.

"Huh? Phone..." Ryuji trailed as if he realized something "Hey, that reminds me--didn't you have a navigation app thingy on back then?"

"Navigation app...?" Ren repeated.

"I dunno if it was or not, but I heard stuff that sounded like one comin' from your phone. Y'know, didn't it say stuff like **'returned to the real world'** or something like that? Lemme see your phone for a bit." Ryuji said.

"...Sure." Ren pulled his phone out from his pocket to hand it over to the blonde-haired who snatched it away from him.

"What's this eyeball-lookin' thing?" Ryuji asked.

"I don't know. It just appeared out of nowhere, and I can't delete it..." Ren replied.

"Wait, what? What a weird app..." Ryuji trailed "...Oh wait, this is it! I knew it--it IS a navigation app! There's even your search history!" Ryuji exclaimed while showing him the screen "Oh man, I'm such a genius!"

"I'm not so sure about that though..." Ren sweatdropped.

"Let's try usin' it." Ryuji suggested.

"But I don't know how to." Ren argued.

"Then I'll do it." Ryuji clicked.

 _ **"Kamoshida... Shujin Academy... Pervert... Castle..."**_ The metaverse navigator said in a robotic voice _**"Beginning navigation."**_

"There we go!" Ryuji exclaimed "...Then we went in a certain direction, and--"

".......!" Ren gasped softly as everything around them colored in dark purple velvet.

"Hey, what're you--" Ryuji paused "...Huh? What the hell?!"

Ren's mobile phone screen twitched and glitched like the screen of a broken TV with the eyeball symbol popping up.  
Everything was colored in dark shades of reddish black taking the shape of a vortex before the school transformed into the huge castle all again.

******

_**\------The Castle------** _

"Look! It's the castle from yesterday!" Ryuji exclaimed before running towards the main entrance.

"H-Hey! Wait--" Ren cut his sentence "Idiot..." Then he ran towards him.

"We made it back... that means what happened yesterday was for real too..." Ryuji trailed.

"You're right..." Ren admitted.

"...Yeargh! Those clothes...!" Ryuji gasped at Ren's appearance.

"Hm?" Ren hummed in a questioning tone while staring at his gloved hand.

"That happened last time too, huh?! What's with that outfit?!" Ryuji exclaimed loudly.

"Not bad, huh?" Ren's lips curved into a smirk "What? You jelly?"

"I-I ain't jealous!" Ryuji spoke nervously.

"Suuuuuuureeeeee..." Ren rolled his eyes.

"What's goin' on here?! This makes no effin' sense at all..." Ryuji cried out.

"Hey!" A familiar voice called before Morgana approached the two.

"Stop making a commotion." Morgana whispered.

"Ah... you?!" Ryuji groaned.

"The Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be..." Morgana spoke "...To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape."

"What is this place? ...Is it the school?" Ryuji asked.

"That's right." Morgana replied.

"But it's a castle!" Ryuji snapped.

"This castle IS the school." Morgana reassured "...But only to this castle's ruler."

"The castle's ruler...?" Ryuji scratched his hair.

"I think you called him Kamoshida? It's how his distorted heart views the school." Morgana explained.

"Kamoshida... distorted..." Ryuji trailed while looking at Ren before snapping "Explain it in a way that makes sense!"

"I shouldn't have expected a moron to get it..." Morgana trailed.

"What'd you say?!" Ryuji growled at the cat when hearing the voice of a loud scream.

"What was that?!" Ren was alerted.

"It must be the slaves captive here." Morgana said.

"For real?!" Ryuji widened his eyes hearing another scream "Oh shit... it's for real! We saw other guys held captive here yesterday... I'm pretty sure they're from our school."

"Most likely on Kamoshida's orders, it's nothing out of the ordinary. It's like that every day here. What's more, you two escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit." Morgana said.

"That son of a bitch...!" Ryuji shouted.

"Ryuji...?" Morgana trailed.

"...This is bullshit!" Ryuji yelled again.

"Hey--" Ren's words were cut off.

The blonde-haired ran towards the castle's door banging it with his side yelling "You hear me, Kamoshida?!"

"Doing that isn't going to open it, you know... still, it seems you have your reasons." Morgana spoke.

"Hey, Monamona." Ryuji called while approaching them again.

"It's Morgana!" The cat growled.

"Do you know where those voices are comin' from...?" Ryuji asked.

"You want me to take you to them?" Morgana folded his hands "...Well, I guess I could guide you there. But only if he comes with us." Morgana said while looking at Ren.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go." Ren said.

"It's settled then!" Morgana said.

"For real...?!" Ryuji grinned "...Thanks, man."

"All right, let's do this. Follow me." Morgana said before running away.

*******

All the three went into the exit where they escaped last time and started infiltrating the castle and getting engaged in several battles along the way, except for Ryuji of course.  
They reached an underground dungeon where they saw how the volleyball players were being tortured in unimaginable and inhuman methods.  
Their screams and desperate calls for help could pierce into the ear.  
Ryuji memorized the faces of some of these players and decided to exit the castle.

Only when the worst case scenario kicked in...

"...You knaves again?" Shadow Kamoshida walked over to the three with a troop of guards.

"To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!" Shadow Kamoshida scuffed.

"The school ain't your castle! I've memorized their faces real good. You're goin' down!" Ryuji shouted at him.

"It seems it's true when they say **'barking dogs seldom bite'**. How far the star runner of the track team has fallen." Kamoshida smirked darkly.

"The hell are you gettin' at?!" Ryuji yelled.

"I speak of the **'Track Traitor'** who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams. Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your... selfish act." Kamoshida smirked again.

"...Is that true?" Ren asked.

"Ngh..." Ryuji groaned.

"Violence? 'Track Traitor'? What does he mean?" Ren asked again.

"What a surprise. So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever." Kamoshida smirked.

"That's not true!" Ryuji protested.

"You've come along with this fool and are now going to end up dead." Kamoshida spoke "...How unlucky of you." Walking a little bit away.

"Go, kill them all. Don't sully my castle with garbage." Shadow Kamoshida ordered.

The two guards walked close to the three and went berserk, thus turning into two demonic monsters. Black horses with red eyes, white hair and tail, and big greenhorns.  
"Goddamit..." Ryuji groaned.

"Ryuji, move--" Morgana tried to warn the blonde-haired.

However, Morgana got a powerful smack on the head which knocked him down.  
Without giving the chance for Ren to react either, he was almost immediately thrown down on the floor being stomped on his head.

"Rgh... you piece of--" Morgana hissed while his back was being stepped on by Kamoshida's foot.

"Ugh...!" Ren also tried to lift his face up but was apprehended down the same way.

"I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn't that right?" Shadow Kamoshida asked darkly.

"No..." Ryuji shook his head after he collapsed on his knees.

"What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly... how dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?" Shadow Kamoshida asked darkly.

"Wasn't no practice--it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" Ryuji hit the floor with his hands while looking down.

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach who got fired was hopeless too..." Shadow Kamoshida smirked "Had he not opposed me with a second argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg."

"...What?" Ryuji gasped while lifting his face a bit.

"A broken leg...?" Ren trailed shockingly.

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!" Shadow Kamoshida chuckled devilishly.

"Dammit... am I gonna lose again...? Not only can I not run anymore... the track team is gone too 'cause of this asshole...! And I lost a childhood friend too!" Ryuji hit the floor with his fists while crying sorrowfully.

"So that's why..." Morgana trailed before Kamoshida stepped with more force on his back.

"Once these two are dealt with, you're next. Hahahaha....!" Shadow Kamoshida laughed hysterically.

"Ryuji!" Morgana called in pain.

"You're gonna let him talk to you like that? You can't forgive him, right?" Ren spoke.

".......?!" Ryuji gasped in shock.

"Let's take back what's dear to you!" Ren lifted his face with a determined look on his face.

"...You're right. Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I'll never get 'em back...!" Ryuji mumbled "I lost Mikki and I might not get her back also..."

"Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you." Shadow Kamoshida smirked again.

"No... that's what you are..." Ryuji said while standing up on his feet "All you think about is using people... you're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!" Ryuji said while slowly walking towards the ruler.

"What are you doing? Silence him!" Shadow Kamoshida ordered.

"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!" Ryuji yelled while pointing at Shadow Kamoshida with his finger.

_**"You made me wait quite a while."** _

That voice which rang inside Ryuji's head caused his eye color to turn from brown to golden while holding his head from the unimaginable pain.

"A-Aaaagh...!" Ryuji cried in pain as he dropped on his knees.

_**"You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact."** _

_**"Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...?"** _

_**"The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus..."** _

_**"I am thou, thou art I..."** _

_**"There is no turning back..."** _

_**"The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"** _

Ryuji lifted his face up to expose the metallic skull mask that appeared on his face.

"Hmph. What can you do...? Cower in fear and watch!" The guard captain who was apprehending Ren said while drawing his word up.

"Aah..." Ryuji struggled while trying to remove the mask away from his face.

"Nnnngh... hraaaaaaaaaagh...!" Ryuji yelled on top of his lungs as he ripped the mask off causing blood to drip all over his face.

A crazily strong wave of blue flames enveloped the entire room and creating a massive wave of wind as Ryuji's scream never stopped.  
When the blue flames settled down, it took the form of a pirate riding a ship like a skateboard. Ryuji's clothes were changed as well, and they consisted of matching black jacket and pants with knee pads, a red ascot, combat boots, and a pair of yellow gloves. He lifted his face up to smirk in victorious at Kamoshida's Shadow.

"Ugh... this one as well?!" Shadow Kamoshida asked.

"Right on... wassup, Persona..." Ryuji looked at his gloved hands in awe.

"This effin' rocks! Now that I got this power, it's time for payback..." Ryuji said.

"We'll teach them a lesson for sure." Ren smiled while standing up.

"Yo, I'm ready..." Ryuji said "Bring it!"

"Ngh... don't mock me, you brat!" The guard captain said while turning to a red armored knight riding on a black armored horse.

"Blast them away... Captain Kidd!" Ryuji yelled while pointing at the enemy.

"All right, let's do this!" Morgana pointed his sword firmly.

"Arsene!" Ren called after taking his mask off.

A pixie flew towards Arsene casting thunder on him which hit him but blasted it off by opening his wings.  
Two fireballs nearly hit the boys coming from the third Shadow and were about to fire again.

"Show your might, Zorro!" Morgana summoned his Persona that blocked the Shadow's fire attack with wind attack and sent it flying away.

"Sheesh. Total amateurs." Morgana smirked.

"You're joining, too?!" Ryuji asked shockingly.

"Now! Attack as one!" Morgana pointed his sword while the two boys drew their weapons out as well.

"Follow me, rookies!" Morgana ran towards the three Shadows with the boys ending them with a stylish All-Out Attack.

"*gasp* *pant*" Ryuji held his knees in exhaustion "...How 'bout that?!"

"Whoa... so Ryuji had the potential too..." Morgana was almost speechless.

"Even if you apologize now... I ain't forgivin' you...!" Ryuji was still panting.

"I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don't understand..." Kamoshida smirked.

That moment, Takamaki walked into the room next to Kamoshida's Shadow.  
And yet, she wore a fuchsia bikini with black tiger patterns drawn on it, pink high heels, a small crown, and cat ears.

"Huh...?!" Ren dumbfounded.

"Wh-- Takamaki?!" Ryuji gasped.

"Oh...! Wha... What a meow-velous and beautiful girl...!" Morgana exclaimed dreamily. His eyes turned into hearts.

"I'm jealous... no, no, no!" Ryuji shook his head.

"Exactly. No." Ren said confidently.

"Yeah, apparently..." Morgana trailed.

"What's going on...?!" Ryuji asked seeing Takamaki hugging Shadow Kamoshida from the side.

"Something seems off. That's just not right." Ren shook his head.

"Yeah, now that you mention it... but why is she even here?!" Ryuji asked.

Then, Shadow Kamoshida caressed Takamaki's cheek.  
"Hey! Let go of her, you perv!" Ryuji snapped.

"How many times must I tell you until you understand? This is MY castle--a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me." Shadow Kamoshida said before letting go of Takamaki's cheek "... That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you."

"Takamaki! Say somethin'!" Ryuji called.

"Calm down, Ryuji! It seems that girl isn't the real one. She's the same of those slaves--a being made from Kamoshida's cognition of her!" Morgana said.

"Are you jealous? Well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you. Hayashi is no exception either." Shadow Kamoshida smirked.

"Dammit...!" Ryuji groaned.

"Who's Hayashi?" Morgana asked Ren.

"I... don't know." Ren replied.

"Clean them up this instant!" Shadow Kamoshida ordered when reinforces of guards appeared.

"We're outnumbered... let's scram before we get surrounded!" Morgana said.

"We're not gonna do anything and just run?!" Ryuji asked.

"We can't die here! So just shut up and go!" Ren said.

"Thank god you've got a level head." Morgana said.

"Ngh... fine. We'll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us...!" Ryuji threatened.

"Hahaha! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you want, if you don't care about your life. Haaaahahahaha!" Shadow Kamoshida laughed hysterically.

"Ignore him. Let's go!" Morgana said before he scramed away with the two.  
*******

The group of the three all ran together as fast as they possibly could away from the guards to safety.  
They reached the same room where Ren and Ryuji returned to the real world the first time they came here.  
The raven-haired leaned his back onto a wall gripping his fingers into his chest while panting, and Ryuji was no better than him.

"*pant* *pant*" Ryuji held his knees "*pant* Anyways! I don't remember changin' into this!"

"But it looks good on you though." Ren said.

"Uhh... should I be happy about that? ...Then again, it ain't as bad as yours." Ryuji admitted.

"Did you find them?" A pursuer's voice called.

"Quiet!" Morgana whispered.

"No. Search that way!" Another pursuer's voice ordered.

"So what's goin' on? I'm completely lost, man...!" Ryuji said.

"I told you before. When a Persona-user opposes a Palace's ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It's to prevent you from being affected by distortions." Morgana explained quietly.

"Is this... a skull?" Ryuji pointed on his mask.

"Your appearance reflects your inner self, it's the rebel that slumbers within... not that you'll get it." Morgana said.

"Nope..." Ryuji trailed.

"Then stop asking questions and accept what you see for what it is." Morgana whisper-shouted.

"Easy for you to say." Ryuji mumbled.

"Seriously..." Ren sighed while sweatdropping.

"Wait, we're in deep shit!" Ryuji gasped.

"I said to be quiet!" Morgana whisper-yelled again.

"We might've gotten away here, but we're still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school..." Ryuji said.

"That's quite sharp of you... for being an idiot. Relax. The Kamoshida in reality can't possibly know about what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed--a side of one's personality they don't want to see." Morgana explained.

"...So, we're OK?" Ryuji trailed.

"Think. Did the real Kamoshida remember about the execution yesterday?" Ren asked.

"There you have it." Morgana added.

"All right! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is--" Ryuji got interrupted.

"Wait, I guided you as promised. It's your turn to cooperate with me. That's why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything." Morgana said.

"Huh? Cooperate?" Ryuji dumbfounded.

"Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my true form! That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and--" Morgana's words were cut off.

"Whoa, hold up. What're you goin' on and on about?! We never said anything about helpin' you out." Ryuji said.

"Huh? Don't tell me... are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you? Especially you! You're going to up and leave, even though you're already part of my master plan?!" Morgana asked Ren shockingly.

"What plan are you talking about? I never promised you." Ren pointed out.

"Is it because I'm not human...? Because I'm like a cat...? Is that why you're making a fool of me?!" Morgana asked angrily looking offended.

"We're busy! Thanks for everything, cat. You've got guts, bein' a cat and all! See you around!" Ryuji said before running away with Ren.

 

 

"Hey! What the hell? Ugh, seriously! Why're you wrapping this up like everything's all hunky-dory?! Oh hell no! Get back here! ...Grr... GRAAGGGHHH!" Morgana yelled angrily.

*******

_**\------The Real World------** _

**_"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."_** The Metaverse Navigator said.

"...Thank god. We're back." Ryuji sighed in relief "I dragged you a lot around, huh? ...Sorry, man."

"Hey, no problem at all." Ren smiled nervously while swinging his hand.

"Ugh, I'm dead tired... how you holdin' up?" Ryuji asked.

"Eh, I'm fine." Ren shrugged his shoulders.

"That's impressive. I'm exhausted even though I used to do track..." Ryuji said "But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em face up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done."

"I hope so... what we saw was really messed up and unforgettable." Ren sighed.

"So... wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?" Ryuji asked.

"Of course I'll help. We're involved in this together now." Ren smiled.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji exclaimed happily.

Suddenly he looked down, and his entire mood changed 180 degrees.  
Ren noticed his change in demeanor and wanted to say something, however he couldn't muster the right words to say, so he stayed quiet.

"Hey, so... if you're thinkin' of layin' low 'cause you got a record, I don't think that'll help... everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal."

"........" Ren fell quiet before opening his mouth "How'd that happen?"

"Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!" Ryuji growled.

"Seriously? A teacher did that...?" Ren frowned while narrowing his eyes.

"No one else besides a teacher could've leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club; that asshole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me...!" Ryuji frowned.

"........" Ren looked down.

"No one'll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumors about him gettin' physical might be real. And after seein' Kamoshida's distorted-heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!" Ryuji said in determination.

"Of course." Ren said before staring at his palm "When I awakened my Persona, I made a vow to myself to help others in need, that's why I'll be with you in this. Until the end."

"Thanks, man. I'm countin' on you! Don't worry; I'm hyped about this too!" Ryuji exclaimed.

 _"I can sense a bond of trust coming from him..."_ Ren thought.

 

 

**_"I am thou, thou art I... thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Chariot Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessings that shall lead to freedom and new power..."_** These words rang inside Ren's head softly.

  
"Oh..." Ryuji trailed at the sound of his stomach growling "Right, I haven't eaten anything since lunch. It'd be weird splittin' off now, so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?"

"Thanks, but I'm not--" Ren's words were cut off by the sound of his own stomach grumbling loudly.

"Haha, your stomach tells another story." Ryuji laughed "Just follow me. I mean, I totally gotta hear about your past!" Ryuji said before walking out of the alley.

*******

_**\------Ogikubo Ramen------** _

Ryuji took Ren to a ramen shop called Ogikubo.  
It looked normal, yet the atmosphere was lovely and simple inside.  
They sat on a table and ordered two bowls of ramen. When the orders arrived, Ren told the blonde-haired his entire story in details about his failed attempt at rescuing the woman from the drunk man.

"WHAT?!" Ryuji shouted as he paused eating "The hell, man! How much shittier can that asshole get?!"

"Calm down! You're making a commotion." Ren whispered "Plus, it's all in the past now..."

"Are you for real? If it was me, I wouldn't calm down until I punched that dick in the face." Ryuji said.

"........" Ren grunted.

"So... you left your hometown, and you're livin' here now, huh?" Ryuji said while eating.

"Pretty much..." Ren replied while swirling his ramen.

"You miss your home?" Ryuji asked.

"........" Ren paused from taking the bite. He placed the chopsticks down and lowered his face.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean...!" Ryuji said nervously.

"Don't worry about it. Actually, what would I miss in my hometown? My old classmates, who bullied me before I get expelled? Or the unexplainable looks of my parents before I came here?" Ren asked sadly "So no. I don't miss it at all."

"We might be more alike than I originally thought." Ryuji said.

"What did you do?" Ren asked.

"I don't get a record like you do. I mean, that's not the point." Ryuji replied nervously.

"I guess it's how we're treated like a pain in the ass by the people around us, like we don't belong." Ryuji said.

"I know how that feels..." Ren trailed while burying his face in his palm.

**_"The verdict, one year of probation for the defendant, Ren Amamiya."_ **

**_".......!"_ **

"........" Ren stayed quiet after recalling the awful memories of his trial.

"I did something stupid at school before, too." Ryuji said while finishing his bowl in one go.

"By the way in the castle, you mentioned that you lost a childhood friend. What do you mean by that?" Ren asked.

"........." Ryuji fell awfully quiet.

".......?" Ren tilted his head.

"Can we not talk about this...?" Ryuji asked looking hurt.

"Sorry..." Ren stared on his lap.

"The place you're livin' now is in... Yongen, right? It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before headin' home." Ryuji said.

"I think I'll do just that." Ren nodded.

"But listen, you didn't even do anything wrong." Ryuji spoke before shoving the rice in his mouth causing Ren to look at him shockingly.

"You can't just walk away when someone's in trouble, right? That's why you helped her. How is that wrong? It ain't at all!" Ryuji said firmly.

"........!" Ren widened his eyes again.

"What the hell, man. You barely touched your food." Ryuji said while placing ginger into Ren's food.

"I can do that myself, you know." Ren protested.

"Just lemme do it. I gotta thank you for helpin' me. Anyways, I got your back like you got mine from tomorrow on. As long as we do something about Kamoshida, I'm sure we'll both feel better about bein' at school." Ryuji said.

"You got that right." Ren chuckled lightly.

"Oh yeah!" Ryuji exclaimed "Tell me your number. Chat ID too." Ryuji said as he grabbed his phone.

"Sure thing." Ren said as he pulled his own phone out exchanging contact info.

"Just you wait, Kamoshida... we're gonna start right away tomorrow. First, let's hit up those guys that were kept as slaves." Ryuji said.

"Speaking of which, the volleyball rally IS tomorrow." Ren remembered.

"Shit's recommended by Kamoshida. Makes me wanna gag. But thanks to that, we got no classes in the afternoon, and we can walk around unnoticed. Well, I guess we can work out the details tomorrow..." Ryuji said.

"Alright then. Our investigation starts tomorrow." Ren announced.

"C'mon, you gotta eat more. There's tons of ginger here." Ryuji grinned while placing more ginger into Ren's food.

"Uhh...?" Ren sweatdropped.

"Come to think of it, I never gave you my name yet. I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. Just call me Ryuji, **Renren**." Ryuji grinned goofily.

"Sure. Nice to meet you, **Sakamoto**." Ren beamed.

"Asshole." Ryuji sweatdropped comically.

*******

**_\-------Meanwhile: Shujin Academy-------_ **

Two girls were sitting next to each other on a bench at Shijin's courtyard chatting together.  
One of the two girls was Takamaki herself, and the other had brown eyes and dark black hair in a ponytail tied with a pink hairband. She wore her uniform without the black blazer: a beige sweater rolled up to her elbows and the standard uniform skirt. She had a black leg brace on her right leg. Around her elbows and under her skirt, black bandages of some sort could be seen. She wore white running shoes.

"I-I haven't been sleeping well lately... whenever I close my eyes, I keep thinking about so many things..." The downtrodden girl spoke.

"Shiho..." Takamaki trailed.

"Nationals are coming up soon, so I keep thinking... should someone like me really be on the starting lineup...?" The girl named **'Shiho'** asked herself.

"Don't worry. Just be confident in yourself! Your skills have been recognized! It's all because you work harder than anyone else!" Takamaki flashed a cheerful grin.

"......." Shiho fell quiet before talking "Yeah... volleyball's all I have, after all..." Shiho trailed.

"More importantly, was that injury OK? It looked really swollen." Takamaki said worriedly.

"No, it's nothing. It's normal... especially since a meet's coming up..." Shiho shook her head.

"........" Takamaki grunted.

"Sorry to interrupt, Suzui." A quiet student approached the girls "Um... Mr. Kamoshida told me to get you."

"Huh? What does he want...?" Shiho widened her eyes as a cold sweat rolled on her face.

"He didn't say..." The quiet student looked away.

"......." Shido grunted "Ann, I..."

"......." Ann looked troubled too "It'll be fine! I bet it's a meeting about the starting lineup or something."

"......" Shiho looked at her friend "...Yeah." She smiled weakly.

"Well, I better go..." Shiho trailed as she stood up.

"Yep. Good luck!" Ann flashed another cheerful grin.

The dark-haired girl nodded at her friend's statement and left along with the quiet student to Kamoshida.  
In reality, she was scared to the bones and panicked, but she tried her best not to show it.

"Hang in there, Shiho...!" Ann mumbled.

**_"The truth is, I love your hair!"_ **

**_"Huh? Seriously...!?"_ **

"Idiot..." Ann mumbled to herself again while rubbing her arm after recalling that memory.

_"Why are you making this so hard on me?"_

_"Sakamoto..."_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll stop here! Man, the progress is going rather smoothly, huh?
> 
> I wonder about Ann's flashback though... I wonder about that...
> 
> With that aside, hope you'd wait to the next chapter patiently.
> 
>  
> 
> Published in: Tue/Jan 22/2019


	6. Chapter 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words can hurt more than beating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fourth chapter is all up and here!  
> Please, go on and have fun!

  _ **-**_ _ **\-----Evening: Leblanc------**_

The cool night wind blew over Ren's face causing few strands of his hair to fall upon his face.  
He brushed them away with his fingers as he made his way into the familiar alley.  
A deep and distressed sigh escaped his lips feeling exhaustion rushing through his body as he reached the entrance of Leblanc.  
Slowly, Ren opened the door to get greeted by the warmth of the café along with the sight of Sojiro sitting by the counter and reading a newspaper.

"...You're home." Sojiro spoke "I take it you actually went to school today?"

"Of course." Ren nodded.

"I guess you learned your lesson after what happened yesterday. Eh, as long as you're not getting into trouble, it's fine by me." Sojiro swung his arm in the air.

"........."

"What's the story of this bandage anyway?" Sojiro pointed at a bandage on Ren's left cheek.

"Volleyball."

"I don't know what you've been up to, but trust me, you'll be gone if you start causing problems. In case you forget, your life is not a free one right now."

"I know."

 

_**Pi pi pi** _

 

"Hm...?" Ren picked his phone up to see that he received an IM from the person he just shared his contact info earlier that day.

_Ryuji: Hey, I decided to go ahead and message you._

_Ryuji: Can you see this?_

_Ren: Yep._

_Ryuji: I'm gonna be counting on you tomorrow, OK?_

_Ren: Got it._

_Ryuji: You're a bro, man..._

_Ryuji: Welp, seeya tomorrow!_

_Ryuji: Let's save those guys who've been getting abused. You and me._

"...Sheesh, are you even listening to me?" Sojiro sighed impatiently.

"Ah, yes." Ren put his phone back into his pocket.

"Just stay away from bad influences, OK?"

Nodding to his guardian, Ren walked up the stairs to his room to get some sleep.  
He heard the door's bell jingling and a locking sound which could only mean that Sojiro left home and locked up behind him.  
Unable to stand anymore, Ren threw his body on the bed feeling the strong urge to sleep, however, Ryuji decided to text him yet again.

_Ryuji: That thingy on your phone was some red eyeball icon, right?_

_Ren: Right._

_Ryuji: We ended up at that weird place we used this nav app, right?_

_Ryuji: I found it on my phone too..._

_Ryuji: I don't even remember installing it!_

_Ren: That's creepy._

_Ryuji: For real. What is this thing...?_

_Ryuji: I think it's being downloaded on its own somehow?_

_Ryuji: It's dangerous to use something without knowing what it is..._

_Ryuji: But with it, we can go to that weird place, right?_

_Ren: Seems like it._

_Ryuji: Basically, it's gonna depend on how we use it._

_Ryuji: But first, we gotta find evidence on the beating._

_Ryuji: I'm counting on you, all right? Don't go ditching school on me._

Ren didn't even have the chance to put his phone away since his arm almost immediately fell down on the bed with the phone in it.  
His eyelids felt heavy and slowly began closing to envelop the world around him in black and drift away to dreamland.

*******

  
**_\------Velvet Room------_**

The sound of chains cluncking together echoed in his ears, but it wasn't a strange voice to him anymore. He grew used to it.  
Ren's eyes fluttered open as he woke up noticing himself in a locked cell.  
He remembered that place as **'The Velvet Room'** , thus he walked towards the cell's door seeing Igor waiting for him and the twin wardens standing as guards in front of it.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you." Igor spoke "What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?"

"Yeah, I guess I am..." Ren trailed.

"Ah, glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel. Your rehabilitation determines if ruin can be stopped. Yet, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. But today, you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, haven't you?"

"A partnership? You mean Sakamoto?"

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals of faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well."

"Personas are the strength of heart... the stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain." Justine added calmly.

"There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you doesn't. You better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power." Caroline said with an attitude.

"Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambitions will not come to fruition. We have a deal then." Igor chuckled.

 _"It feels like Igor has high expectations of me..."_ Ren thought.

"Well, you will understand it all in due time... continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation."

"Very well..."

"Ah, before I forget. There's something I'd like to mention as well. During your rehabilitation, you'll come to encounter a person in which your heart will get tied to."

"Hm? My heart tied to that person? Who's that?" Ren asked.

"That is an answer you will find by yourself." Igor replied.

"Now, this conversation's over! Get lost, Inmate!" Caroline shouted impatiently.

*******

**_\------Time Skip: The Next Day------_ **

On the way to school, Ren had a troubled look on his face as he made his way between the crowd of students.  
He pulled his phone out to stare at the Metaverse Navigator app recalling the events that happened in the castle once more.  
His awakening, the tortured and enslaved students, Ryuji's awakening and everything... even the screams and calls for help of the beaten students still pierced through his ears.  
And yet, he was walking right behind two first-year students, thus he was able to listen to the whole conversation.

"How annoying--we've barely started high school, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally? And why are they pitting us against the Teacher Team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us."

"We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!"

"Yeah, OK. You're gonna get your face smashed in. Just look at how bandaged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?"

*******

**_\-------Shujin Academy: Gymnasium------_ **

The volleyball rally began in the gym between the team of students and the team of teachers.  
The cheering voices of enthusiastic students standing around the court were filling the entire room. And most of them were cheering on the same name which is none other than Kamoshida.  
The volleyball coach spiked a ball that caused the dark-haired quiet student to fall down on the waxed floor.

"Nice toss!"

"Man, you've still got it, Coach!" A male teacher gave Kamoshida a high five.

"Thanks. Let's go for one more!" Kamoshida exclaimed.

The match resumed as the cheering voices went higher than before, then the dark-haired quiet student looked down while taking a few steps backward as if he was feeling ashamed of himself.  
Ann was sitting on a chair outside the court twirling her hair. She was quiet and still on the exact opposite of all the students who were standing and cheering on loudly and lively.  
On the floor, there sat Ryuji and Ren distancing themselves away from the others watching the match going on.

"Still sticks out... hasn't changed a bit." Ryuji mumbled to himself while stealing glances at Ann.

"Pretty boring. Right?" The blonde-haired stretched his arms and pretended to be sleepy while looking at his friend playfully who just chuckled.

Ren looked once again at Ann in awe who was sitting there in the distance and her fingers playing with her ash blonde locks before looking back at his friend who already closed his eyes in boredom.  
However, what caught his attention was the sight of the mean brown-haired girl who was nothing but hostile to him since day one sitting on the floor across him and looking away from the entire match as if nothing of what's been happening around her meant something at all.

"Why're you starin' at Mikki like this?" Ryuji seemed to notice Ren stares.

"You know her?"

"........." Ryuji sighed to himself deeply "Her name is Emiko Hayashi, but I call her Mikki. You see, we were... childhood friends."

"Were?"

"...I dunno why, but she stopped talking to me three years ago after her dad died. I keep askin' myself, what did I do wrong?"

"That's what you meant by you lost a childhood friend back at the castle?" Ren questioned.

"Yeah... but why you wanna know?"

"Well..." Ren hesitated "She was really mean to me with no reason ever since I transferred here."

".........." Ryuji looked over at Emiko's direction with eyes filled with sorrow "Mikki, what's gotten into you...?"

However, a powerful sound caught back the attention of both the boys.  
They looked at its source to see that Kamoshida spiked a powerful ball towards the side of the students' team.  
Too powerful for a friendly match...

The ball flew in an inhuman speed towards the students' team and forcefully hit the face of the dark-haired quiet student in which caused him to fall down on the floor knocked out.  
Surprised gasps began arousing as the poor boy laid down without moving a single inch of his slender body.

"Sorry! Hey, are you alright?!" Kamoshida ran to him "Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!"

And yet, while they were picking the knocked boy up, Emiko's blank facial expression changed entirely to a whole different one. She sent deadly glares at the teacher before taking the boy away.  
Chills ran through Ren's spine again as he remembered the same look on her face she gave to Ann on his way to school during his first day.  
It was exactly the same devilish and monstrous glare in her eyes as if she was a predator ready to hunt down her prey.

"He'll pay soon enough..." Ryuji mumbled while tossing a volleyball away from him.

"All right, let's resume the match!" Kamoshida exclaimed while Ann was looking at him blankly.

*******

**_\------The Courtyard------_ **

Standing with Ryuji in the courtyard, Ren recalled the events of the rally and how did Kamoshida powerfully spiked the boy's face.  
He also remembered the so-called **'Emiko Hayashi'** and wondered what could've happened to her three years ago to the point of stop talking to her childhood friend.

Ren felt like those answers were far from reach, but one thing was for sure to him.  
Ryuji was suffering a lot ever since. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a very close friend who he must've spent most of his life with.

_"Emiko Hayashi..."_

"That asshole's actin' like a king over here too..." Ryuji was cursing under his breath "Get to know each other better, my ass. It was only a one-sided match for him to stroke his ego. And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag...!"

"What was a very strong spike for only a friendly match, though." Ren added.

"...Well, anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday. Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole."

"All right, see you later."

"You're comin' with me too!"

"Who we'll question first?"

"...The first one that popped out was a guy in Class D, so let's start from there. That's your class." Ryuji replied "Hopefully you can talk to him without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately, so... OK, but you're kinda in the same boat, huh."

"All right then."

*******

 ** _\------Class 2_** - ** _D-------_**

Ren's mind kept asking him endless questions as he and Ryuji walked together towards the wanted classroom.  
So many things were happening with Ren, and yet he couldn't even find a single answer to his questions.  
And after knowing who the mean girl was, Ren's questions increased even more.  
He was snapped back to reality by the voice of the door opening by Ryuji where they found one of the volleyball team members injured and bruised like the others too.

"What...? Oh! Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I can expect it from you, transfer." A scared volleyball player stated.

"Hey, that's the guy who was over at the castle." Ryuji whispered.

"You too, Sakamoto?! What do you guys want...?"

"How did you get injured?" Ren asked.

"It's from practice! What does that have to do with anything?"

"Kamoshida did it to you right? Look, I ain't gonna tell anyone you squealed. Just tell us about how Kamoshida's abusin' you." Ryuji said.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Are you afraid?" Ren asked.

"I'm not! You guys are talking complete nonsense!"

"Don't try n' hide it! We already know!" Ryuji insisted.

"You... You know? You have proof?"

"Well, uh... I..." Ryuji stuttered.

"This is ridiculous. Please leave me alone. You're really bothering me!"

"Wait--" Ren got interrupted.

"...All right, that's enough. C'mon, let's go." Ryuji walked out.

*******

**_\------The Hallways------_ **

That result was pretty much expected...  
Ren saw it coming. He knew then, and he knows better now.  
The storm of the unsettling rumors regarding him was getting the better of him.  
At first, he thought that he didn't mind, but he began having a second thought about this whole mess.

Who started the rumor? It was a question that ever left Ren's head since yesterday.  
He doubted it was Kamoshida's doing, but wasn't too sure about such accusation without a concrete evidence to support that thesis.  
Then he remembered another thing.

Emiko accidentally slipped her tongue saying that there were rumors regarding her too.  
What were those rumors as well?

"That injury ain't normal! And he still won't fess up... crap, if we keep goin' at this pace, the ball's game gonna end..." Ryuji knitted his eyebrows.

"Let's split up. That should make things faster." Ren suggested.

"Guess that'd be faster. I'll check the Practice Building for people before clubs start. You handle the Classroom Building. There's a third-year on the volleyball team that I remember. I think he's in... 3-C? He might be around his classroom. The third-years classes are on the first floor. He was gettin' beaten pretty badly at the castle. He might have some injuries here too..."

"Leave it to me."

"Anyways, I'll hit you up if I find anything. Seeya!"

The frizzy-haired walked down to the first floor in the quest of searching for the member in the volleyball team in class 3-C.  
This was supposed to be an easy task for him, what bad things could happen to him asking a student about his injuries all alone?  
He was just walking inside the classroom with the good and pure intention of simply asking him about his injuries and wait for him to slip a useful clue.  
It's not that hard, right?

Wrong.

"Eh? Whaddya want?" The aggressive player asked "You got something to say?"

"How did you get hurt?" Ren asked straight to the point.

"...It's from practice."

"Hey! I know who this guy is." A glaring third-year exclaimed "He's the transfer student who's been hanging out with Sakamoto..."

"Oh, I get it. You're trying to snoop on Mr. Kamoshida, right?" The aggressive volleyball player asked.

"What if I am?" Ren raised his eyebrow.

"Look, our volleyball team performs at the national level. Of course our practices are gonna be tough. Mr. Kamoahida just dedicated to train us. Don't believe everything Sakamoto says." The aggressive volleyball player said.

"You sure It's not abuse?"

"A-As if."

"Hey, we should stop talking to him. What if he loses it and starts attacking us?" The third-year said "I heard he even carries a knife around. Who knows what he's capable of."

With a disappointed face, Ren left deeper to the hallways leaning on against a wall.  
His dark raven bangs shadowed his eyes entirely and thus, no clear expression could be pinpointed out of his face.  
His fists turned to balls and his teeth clench against each other as tight as possible.  
The student's words kept lingering inside his head which was killing him from inside.

"I'm carrying a knife around...? Give me a break." Ren muttered darkly to himself.

"No, I said I didn't do it!"

".......?" That voice caught Ren's attention.

He followed where that feminine cry came from to a corner and saw a surprising sight folding in front of him.  
Emiko standing across Ann with an irritated and threatening look in her eyes.  
It seemed like a heated conversation between the two, especially how it was obvious that Emiko was confronting the ash blonde-haired about something serious.

"Oh really? I find it really difficult to believe you without proof." Emiko raised her eyebrow.

"Why would I even do that?! What makes you say that?!" Ann raised her voice.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe to shift the spotlight away from you by directing it to me?" She folded her arms "You're the one who started the rumor about me, aren't you?"

"No! Hayashi, what is wrong with you?!"

"I should be the one asking you this question, you know."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable! I can't believe I considered you a friend before!" Ann yelled angrily.

"Yeah, me too..." Emiko knitted her eyebrows "But be sure that I'll make you pay for this dearly."

"Arrrgh...!" Impatiently and angrily, Ann left the area leaving the doubting Emiko standing behind.

The dark brown-haired took off her oval-lensed glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.  
A long tired sigh escaped her rosy lips while shaking her head left and right.  
It was plainly obvious that she was stressed out by the so-called **'mysterious rumors about her'** and thus, with hesitation, Ren decided to approach her and kindly ask her about this, and _hopefully,_ she'd be more polite with him this time.

But it was a bad idea. A very bad one.

"Um, Hayashi-San?"

"WHAT?!" Emiko gave Ren even a more evil, deadly and angry look.

".........!"

"Wait, my name. How did you--" Emiko paused her sentence before shaking her head "Ryuji, huh? That idiot..."

"Look Amamiya, I'm really not in the mood to talk to anyone. _Especially_ not with you"

"Your conversation with Takamaki-San just now." Ren stated.

"What does it have to do with you?"

"I just want to ask you about the rumors regarding you--"

"Or what? You're going to assault me?" Emiko furrowed her eyebrows while glaring at the raven-haired.

"W-What...?!"

That was it.

"That's what I thought. Get off my way!" Emiko violently pushed Ren away from her and walked away in a fast pace.

He was just glued at his spot shocked and disbelieved as he watched that girl disappearing into the distance.

*******

The sound of splashing echoed through the walls of the boys' bathroom as the water was running from the tap.  
Then, it was followed by the squeaky voice of its closure before an utter and killing silence enveloped the bathroom wholly, accomplished by a single voice.

**_Drip_ **

**_Drip_ **

Water trickled down from Ren's hair and face down into the porcelain sink.  
His hands gripped tightly on the sides of the sink as he stared at his reflection on the mirror.  
Ren's grey eyes were dull and tired and the frown never escaped his lips recalling everything that was said to him by the students. 

_**"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye..."** _

_**"He seems quiet... but I bet when he loses it..."** _

_**"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right...?"** _

_**"I heard he even carries a knife around. Who knows what he's capable of."** _

_**"Or what? You're going to assault me?"** _

The last sentence really struck a _very_ sensitive nerve within him.  
He was innocent and he knew it better than anyone else, but no one would believe him or even bother themselves to hear the story from his words.  
Ever since day one, he was judged by everyone whenever and wherever he walked in the school unjustly and unfairly.

The grip of his fingers around the sink tightened as he lowered his face down allowing to water to drip down faster.  
His arms and hands began shaking, his breath hitched, and his heart beating pace quickened.  
It was close to arrhythmia.

"D-Damn it..." Soft sobs slipped from Ren.

He hated it. He hated every single moment of it; this helplessness and hopelessness.  
He wished if it can just stop, all the rumors and stares following him around.  
His classmates, schoolmates, guardian... they all gave him the same look of disapproval or fear like he was a time bomb ready to explode at any minute.  
Why should he suffer like that only because he wanted to help a woman in need?

But Emiko Hayashi? She was a whole different story.  
He never hated someone in his whole life the way he did to her that moment.  
Her rudeness and hostility were just _unjustified_. He didn't understand what he did to her to act in such a way.

He hated her. So much.

"No, I can't think like that." Ren told himself while wiping the mix of tears and water away from his face.

He took a deep breath in and out to maintain his sanity as well as slapping both of his cheeks softly to stay focused.  
He had a task in hand and needed to uncover the truth of Kamoshida's abuse, so he couldn't allow such negative emotions to take over him like that so easily.

Plus, that wasn't his nature. He never learned to hate anyone in his life.

What interrupted Ren's long train of thought was the soft vibrating sound of his phone.  
He already had a good idea what that could be, and so he quickly dried his face and hands, put his glasses back again before pulling the phone out of his pocket.

And his hunch was true.

_Ryuji: How's it going?_

_Sorry, I can't do this anymore,_ is what Ren wanted to type so badly, but he remembered that Ryuji stated multiple times that he counted on him.  
Instead, his lips curved upwards forming a smile after remembering Ryuji's words and the silly nickname he came up with to him and began typing on his keyboard.

_Ren: He refused._

_Ryuji: Him too?! Man... everyone's too freaked out about Kamoshida._

_Ryuji: But I still got a lead. A first-year, new member._

_Ryuji: He just joined, so might not be wrapped up in Kamoshida's web of bullshit yet._

_Ryuji: Pretty sure he's in class 1-B._

_Ryuji: Try the first-year classrooms. They're up on the third floor._

_Ren: Got it._

_Ryuji: You're the best, Renren!_

The same nickname caused a light chuckle to escape Ren as he rolled his eyes.  
He placed the phone back in the pocket of his gym uniform before taking a deep breath and moving his hand to grab the doorknob.  
A wave of hesitation came over Ren but decided to shake it off and opened the door to continue the investigation.

He had to do it.

For Ryuji at least.

Yeah, he had to.

*******

 ** _\------Class 1_** - ** _B------_**

Those looks still followed Ren as he made his way up the stairs to the third floor, but thought it'd be better and less troublesome to just ignore them and continue walking.  
On the way, he stumbled upon Emiko who was walking down the stairs and gave him her signature icy cold and fiery glare before walking away again.

Ren narrowed his eyes at her attitude which was in his opinion even worse than Caroline's.  
The more he thought of the reason behind her action, it became less logical.  
Shaking his head, Ren decided not to tire himself by thinking about it as he reached the door of the classroom.

"Excuse me, but are you on the volleyball team?" Ren stepped in.

"H-Huh? Y-Yeah I'm on the volleyball team." The first-year said while bruises covering his face "Whaddya want?"

"I need information."

"What's that supposed to mean? Look, don't wrap me up in whatever weird stuff you're getting yourself into. Besides, Mr. Kamoshida doesn't want us to talk to sketchy people like you. If he saw me here he'd totally give me his **'special coaching'** just like he did with **_Mishima-Senpai_**..."

"What? Special coaching? What kind of coaching is that?"

"O-Oh, uh... never mind! Forget I said anything." The first-year shook his head nervously.

"Mishima?"

"P-Please.... just stop talking to me..." The first-year went pale "Ask someone else if you wanna know anything more."

 ** _"Attention! Attention!"_** The school broadcast said from the microphones scattered around the school hallways ** _"All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today..."_**

This was the kiss of goodbye for this investigation.  
They ran out of time, and Ren definitely didn't see it coming since he long lost his track of time.  
Or perhaps not _exactly_ the goodbye kiss. An actual lead finally came up.  
Ren's phone buzzed again to receive another text messages from the blondie.

_Ryuji: Dammit, we're outta time! How'd it go?_

_Ren: Take a wild guess._

_Ryuji: So you didn't have any luck either..._

_Ryuji: Mkay, let's regroup for now. See you in the courtyard?_

"Looks like regrouping is our best strategy for now..." Ren sighed to himself.

*******

**_\------The Courtyard------_ **

The raven-haired arrived at the courtyard before his friend which was pretty expected to him.  
As he waited for Ryuji to arrive, he decided to occupy himself by quick surfing online.

His finger scrolled down many articles and pages online, and his eyes wandered aimlessly for anything to catch his attention.  
That was when he stumbled upon an article titled as **'A Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Shot Her Own Father.'**

Now, such a catchy title like that _really_ did pique both of Ren's attention and curiosity.  
He attempted to open and read what was written in that article when unexpectedly Ann Takamaki approached him.

"Can I talk to you for a sec...?"

"What is it?"

"It'll be quick. Anyway, what's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all." Ann folded her arms "...There's that weird rumor about you too."

"Whaddya want with him?" Ryuji arrived with an angry look on his face.

"Right back at you. You're not even in our class." Ann replied angrily.

"...We just happened to get to know each other." Ryuji spoke with an uncertain tone in his voice.

"What are you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?" Ann asked angrily crossing her arms.

"Huh?!" Ryuji dumbfounded "...I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!"

"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away."

"Behind my back...? What's that supposed to mean...?"

"You wouldn't get it."

"Anyway, people are already talking about you two. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you."

"If my someone is in trouble I'll be there help with no questions asked." Ren spoke.

"Renren..." Ryuji trailed.

"I'm warning you, just in case. That's all." Ann regained her calmness before walking away.

"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time...?" Ryuji asked himself angrily.

"You know her?" Ren questioned.

"We just went to the middle school." Ryuji replied "Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck at my end. What about you? Did anything like someone's name turn up?"

"It's Mishima." Ren sighed.

"Huh?" Ryuji was dumbfounded "...Special **'coaching'** huh? True. I always see the guy covered in bruises. Let's go talk to him before he leaves then."

"Let's do it!" Ren exclaimed before they both walked away.

*******

The group of the two teenagers Ren and Ryuji walked together in the quest of looking for the dark-haired volleyball player Yuuki Mishima; his classmate.  
His was was unhamnily and brutally bruised and all bandaged up.  
Ren wanted to ask him about the reason behind that in his first day, but well...  
Luckily, they saw him just about to leave the school's building with his bag hanged on his shoulder.  
He kept looking around him left and right while walking carefully towards the exit as if he was scared of something particular.

Or running away from _someone_.

"Hey, got a second?" Ryuji called him.

"Sakamoto...?" Mishima widened his eyes when he spotted Ren "And you too, Amamiya...!?"

"C'mon, we just wanna chat. Kamoshida's been **'coaching'** you, huh? You sure It's not just physical abuse?" Ryuji asked.

"Certainly not!"

"What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways... we saw him spike you today. Right in the face."

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport..."

"...Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got." Ren fixed the position of his glasses.

"They're from practice...!"

"Is he forcing you to keep quiet?"

"That's..."

"What's going on here?" Kamoshida suddenly showed up.

The timing was just _so_ perfect.

"Mishima, isn't it time for practice?"

"I-I'm not feeling well today..."

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then. You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up for practice."

"Didn't you hear? He ain't feelin' well!" Ryuji glared at the PE teacher deadly.

"Calm down." Ren whispered quietly.

"Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?"

"...I'll go."

"But, Mishima--" Ren got interrupted.

"As for you, any more troubles and you'll be gone from this school for sure," Kamoshida warned the blonde-haired while glaring at them.

"Bastard..." Ryuji mumbled angrily as his blood boiling within him.

"Same goes for you. Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?" Kamoshida asked Ren while the frizzy-haired kept quiet while glaring at him angrily.

"You have an amazing spike, Mr. Kamoshida." In mere seconds, Ren flashed a fake smile, yet looked so real.

"Hmph. Just don't get in the way of my practice. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious after all." Kamoshida scuffed.

"That's your own goddamn fault!" Ryuji kept glaring at him.

"Tch, this won't get us anywhere." Kamoshida clicked his tongue annoyingly "Let's go, Mishima."

As Kamoshida took few steps away, he paused saying "Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here." Then told Mishima "Get with the program!"

"Yes, sir." Mishima replied obediently as Kamoshida walked away.

"That asshole... he's gonna pay for this...!" Ryuji muttered angrily.

"...There's no point." Mishima said sadly while shaking his head.

"Huh?" Ren questioned.

"Proving that he's physically abusing us... is meaningless..." Mishima looked down "Everybody knows... the principal, our parents... they all know, and they all keep quiet about it."

"This is gotta be a joke!" Ryuji widened his eyes as backing a bit.

"No... I don't think that's a joke." Ren folded his arms.

"...Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help...?! Nothing's going to help!" Mishima cried out as he ran away.

"Dammit..." Ryuji clenched his fists.

"This is even worse than I thought..." Ren trailed "What now?"

"I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's... all I can do." Ryuji said then punched the wall "Dammit Why?!"

"........" Ren stayed quiet.

"I'll go home now..." Ryuji turned his back "Well, seeya."

Ren watched Ryuji's figure disappear in the distance as he stood still in his spot.  
Both of his fists balled as he lowered his face down.  
It was all coming together to him, the pieces of the puzzle started falling in place, but it was brutal and cruel.  
None of those innocent students deserved what was happening to them from physical abuse and everyone keeping quiet about it from school to their parents.

He didn't anyone to suffer the same injustice as he did.

"What... what am I supposed to do?"

*******

The _abusive_ coach was making his way down the hallways to the gym to start yet another day of unbearable sessions of beating up.  
It was the same nightmare repeating itself for the volleyball team over and over and over again like an endless loop of pain, bruises, injuries, and unanswered cries of help.

It was despair taking its purest form.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kamoshida?" Emiko walked towards him.

Bad idea.

"Hm, Hayashi? You haven't gone home yet?"

"I was hoping I can talk with you for a bit. In private if possible."

"Of course. I have few minutes to spare before practice." Kamishida gave her his signature grin "Would you like to talk in the PE faculty office?"

"Sure."

Agreeing to his suggestion, Emiko walked behind Kamoshida towards the office and yet she kept her guard up and sent him her glares behind his back.  
She was especially cautious around him despite his kind and energetic grins because she heard the rumors about him and had her own suspicions.  
They reached the office and Kamoshida closed the door behind them.

Of course.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Hayashi?" Kamoshida sat on a chair.

"I'll go straight to the point. You heard the rumors about me, haven't you?"

"...Sigh, I did. I was very shocked when I first heard it, but don't worry. I didn't believe it. You're not the type of a person to do that."

"Did you force Takamaki to start it? Or started it yourself?"

"What? What makes you say that?"

"I have my reasons."

"Look Hayashi, you can't just throw baseless accusations on people without a proof--"

"But I do have proof."

"Huh?"

"What do you think will happen to your career once I show my evidence to the principal and the faculty? Oh, I can totally imagine it right now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about--"

"Save it. You just gave me the classic look of shame and guilt which'll only back up my proof."

"Listen here, you bitch." Kamoshida kicked the chair behind as he stood up.

".......!"

"I stayed quiet while you kept disrespecting me. How dare you come here and act like you're someone important or higher than me?!" He squeezed her arm tightly.

"Ow...!" A cry of pain came from Emiko.

His grip was crazily strong since he was an athlete of course.

"If you dare to open your mouth..." He whispered closely to her ear " ** _I'll take your innocence away._** "

"Wh-What?!"

"You don't have any evidence, do you? You only wanted to see what my reaction will be."

"........." Emiko narrowed her eyes.

"I promise you, Hayashi, that not only Takamaki will suffer, but your dear Sakamoto too. I know you two were childhood friends."

"You... you son of a--"

**_SLAP!_ **

Emiko fell down on the floor from the power of the slap and laid down.  
She struggled to stand up and lift her face exposing the fresh red mark on her cheek.  
Her calm and cool attitude was completely wiped away as horror and fear aroused on her face.

"There's more waiting for you if you don't behave yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

He grabbed and lifted her by the hair while muttering that threat, and that said, Kamoshida threw the girl back on the floor before leaving the office and slammed the door behind him.  
Tears rolled down from Emiko's face on the floor while covering her mouth so that her sobs and hiccups won't go out.  
She gave up to crying by burying her face into both of her hands while kneeling down.

She never felt so helpless before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nuuuuuuuu, ma two babies are suffering so much! ;-;
> 
> I just hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter and hopefully, you'd wait for the next update patiently.
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Mon/Jan 28/2019


	7. Chapter 05

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her unanswered cries pierced through his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world! I'm back with a new update! Horaaay! :D  
> So if you guys are cool with that, sit down, relax, and enjoy~

 

  _ **\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic-------**_

  
That night was calm for Ren and felt a tinge of peace from the cozy atmosphere of his room.  
It felt so welcoming, nostalgic, and kind at the same time; another sensation of home.  
His tired grey eyes were fixed on a single point on the wooden ceiling above him staring into space.

Moonlight crept out from the dark clouds and made its way from the small window of the attic to illuminate Ren's pale face.  
With that, Ren sat on the bed to look at the window unable to explain the feeling that was swirling in his chest.

Sadness perhaps?

He didn't know why, but the image of his parents crossed his mind and how he'd stand by the frame of his bedroom's window as a kid making wishes to the stars and let the moon be the witness of his innocent and pure words. His mother would assure him that all of his dreams will come true one day.  
That memory drew a sad smile over Ren's lips and stare at the starry and clear sky with his dull eyes.

But then...

_Ryuji: Hey, this don't make any damn sense._

_Ryuji: The principal and even the parents know about the abuse._

_Ryuji: Why ain't anybody speaking up?!_

_Ren: Probably because they're afraid of him._

_Ren: But even though..._

_Ryuji: That can't be the only thing keeping both the principal and the parents quiet though..._

_Ren: True._

_Ryuji: It's basically because Kamoshida made the volleyball team famous, yeah?_

_Ryuji: Even so, that don't give him the right to do whatever he wants._

_Ryuji: He's beating kids up, and all they're allowed to do is endure._

_Ryuji: And that follower of his doesn't give one single shit..._

_Ren: What follower?_

_Ryuji: Ann Takamaki. You met her in the courtyard, remember?_

_Ryuji: You should know her. I mean, she's in your class, dude._

_Ren:_ _Oh yeah, Takamaki-San._

_Ryuji: Ugh! What a load of bull!_

_Ryuji: I can't let it end like this._

_Ryuji: I'm gonna try to find someone who knows about what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow._

_Ryuji: Just you watch, I ain't givin' up!_

With an unreadable look on his face, Ren placed the phone down on his bed before getting up from it.  
He walked towards the small window that was right across him and had his hands open it fully.

The cool air played softly with his dark locks and felt it slightly tickling his skin as well.  
With another smile, he buried his face into his hands as he stared up to heavens.  
He had the same look in his eyes as a child; the same innocence and longing for the beauty of the stars. It was very peaceful and joyful to him.

"Please..." His lips muttered.

"Please give me the strength until the end of this."

*******

 ** _\------Next Day: Class 2_** - ** _D_** ** _\------_**

The following day was different for Ren.  
This time he was actually able to concentrate and listen to the lecture wholly and thoroughly.  
He knew it was thanks to last night when he lost himself in the furthest galaxies.  
Ren mentally chuckled at the thought that sometimes the most childish things could be most helpful during a person's worst times of despair.

And yet, he stole a glance behind him at the short brown-haired girl who was staring out at the window blankly.  
Emiko Hayashi rose many questions inside Ren's head since the moment he first saw her.  
The most important one would be the mysterious rumors about her, the other was the reason behind her unexplained hostility towards him, and the third one was what happened between her and Ryuji 3 years ago so they stopped being childhood friends.

Ren figured out that the more he knew about Emiko, the more questions he'd get.  
An interruption came to Ren's train of thoughts causing him to stop glancing at Emiko before she could notice him.  
His phone slightly buzzed in his pocket and made him carefully get it out and text Ryuji underneath the desk.

_Ryuji: So about our witness..._

_Ryuji: I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki._

_Ren: Since she's with Kamoshida?_

_Ryuji: No, that ain't why._

_Ryuji: Just hear me out._

_Ryuji: You know how we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team?_

_Ryuji: I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them._

_Ryuji: Takamaki's BFF's with a starter. A girl named Suzui._

_Ren: Suzui-San..._

_Ryuji: I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing._

_Ryuji: If not, we should have Takamaki talk to her._

_Ryuji: Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us..._

_Ryuji: Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with._

*******

_**\------After School: The Courtyard-------** _

 

No words could explain the scene that was unfolding.  
Shiho Suzui was sitting on a bench in the courtyard while lowering her face down and not moving a single muscle of her body.  
Her wrists were bandaged up with new and clean white bandages and a terrible yet swollen bruise was visible above her left eye as a proof of the physical abuse she had to endure every day. One after another endlessly; it was like a nightmare that kept repeating itself non-stop.

Her dark eyes were dull and tired. Almost shallow and empty with no sign of life or light left in them.  
She never stopped frowning while staring blankly at her lap.  
She fiddled with her fingers silently while glancing at her bandaged wrists.  
She was broken both mentally and physically and felt herself at the peak of despair.  
Luckily, Ann had her back towards Shiho's face while drinking a bottle of dehydrated water so she couldn't see her state.

 

"Everyone's saying a lot of bad stuff about that transfer student in your class, Ann..." Shiho began talking to forget the pain she was feeling.

"I know. I hate rumors already, but they're only getting more and more complex as time goes on." Ann stated while throwing the now-empty bottle in the trash can.

"I wonder if he's all right... I hope he's not letting it get to him too much."

"That's just like you, Shiho. Always worrying about other people before yourself. Kinda like when you were there for me..."

Ann muttered that last sentence quietly, but still loud enough for Shiho to hear.  
With a sad smile on her face, Ann recalled her times back at middle school. She was lonely with no friends whatsoever, but Shiho was always there for her as a friend, a sister, and a shoulder she could lean against.  
Ann was greatly grateful for Shiho because thanks to her she no longer felt lonely at the time she mostly needed someone to be with her.

"Shouldn't you be heading to volleyball?"

"Uh-huh..."

"That bruise above your eye... is that from practice, too?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?"

"I'm OK... volleyball's the only thing I can do right..."

That sentence left Ann hanging with her thoughts.  
It was true that Shiho had a talent in volleyball, but that bruise wasn't normal for volleyball practice.  
Ann noticed that those injuries were increasing over her friend's body recently especially that Nationals was approaching fast, and yet every time she asked her about that, Shiho's reply would always remain the same.

Something was wrong, very wrong. Ann wanted to know that very badly, but couldn't grasp the truth behind that.  
Shiho's state worried her greatly given it was plainly obvious that she was hiding something from her, something extremely dangerous.

**_Pi_ **

**_Pi_ **

**_Pi_ **

The ash blonde-haired's phone rang in her pocket at the worst time which caused her to cut her line of thoughts.  
A visible frown printed on her lips while seeing the number on the screen as a distressed sigh escaped her.  
She was already dealing with enough problems on her end, and now that?

 

"Shouldn't you take that?" A curious look was in Shiho's eyes.

"It's probably just my part-time job... I think."

"I... should get going."

"Shiho... are you sure you're OK?"

"Uh-huh.."

The dark-haired made her way out of the courtyard as fast as possible to her daily session of an unmerciful and cruel beating before Ann could see the look of fear that aroused on her face.  
While walking away, Shiho grabbed her shaky arms as she tried her best to hold back her tears and not let them out.  
She knew that Ann was going through a lot herself and didn't want to add even more burdens on her shoulder.  
Not more of Kamoshida, and definitely not her burden.

Ann watched her friend walking away from her in silence and disappearing from sight.  
She was still feeling unsatisfied with Shiho's answers and noticed her unusual behavior with her today.  
She looked extremely scared and depressed which didn't make her feel comfortable or secure at all.  
Nonetheless, she answered the phone call before the ringing would end.

"...Yes? Today won't work... I'm... I'm not feeling so good... sorry... bye..."

Again with another sad sigh, Ann made her own way out of the courtyard.  
Her mind was still preoccupied with Shiho and her drowsy mood.  
She needed to get into the bottom of this but didn't know how.  
The only way possible was completely out of the picture since it involved that wicked teacher himself.  
But what she hadn't noticed that two male students passed by her who observed at her as she left.

"Hey, wasn't that Takamaki?" A bored male student asked.

"Rumor has it she's dating Kamoshida." A disheveled male student added.

"Seriously?"

"I heard people saw them in his car together."

"You know... she seems pretty easy, huh? You think I'd have a chance, too?"

"C'mon dude, you can't go after Kamoshida's bitch!"

*******

**_\------Meanwhile------_ **

 Still nothing.

Ren felt kinda disappointed that he was still empty-handed and was going to report that to Ryuji.  
No new leads came up in their investigation whatsoever which meant that they still couldn't build a solid case against Kamoshida.  
That was when a thought crossed Ren's head: what if they never were able to expose Kamoshida's abuses?  
He couldn't bring himself to imagine what the volleyball team was suffering every single day because of him; a monster hiding under the crust of a fake façade.

Ren shook his head to keep those negative thoughts out of his head.  
He still didn't lose hope yet and knew for a fact that even if all the doors close in his face, one will open for him.  
It was true that the solution looked out of reach, but that gave more reasons to Ren to pursue this case and grasp the trut

While on his way, he spotted a similar-looking dark-haired girl standing by the door that led outside to the courtyard.  
She was looking on her phone in an awkward silence.  
The scene of the bandages and the fresh bruise above her eye caught his attention entirely.

_"Isn't that Suzui-San?"_

  
"...What? Oh... I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. Are you hurt?"

"Huh...? Umm... well..."

Shiho seemed at a loss for words fiddling with her fingers nervously.  
It was clear that Ren's question caught her off guard and was creating multiple scenarios in her head to avoid that question.

"Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be that transfer student from Class D?"

"Yes, I am."

"Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, OK...?"

"They don't bother me."

Wrong. Very wrong.

"I'm glad to hear that... my best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks..."

"Really...?"

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice... I'll see you around."

"........."

Ren wasn't quite satisfied with Shiho's answer and noticed how she avoided his question which made him stare at the direction where she went to with a suspicious look that covered his face.  
He didn't need much intelligence to piece it all together and know that those injuries made were caused by Kamoshida himself.

He carried on his way to the courtyard worried and his mind occupied at Shiho's physical and possibly mental condition.  
Undergoing so many abuses every day sure breaks a person's mentality.  
And that even gave him more and more reasons to help them at any cost.

With those thoughts in mind, he spotted Ryuji tapping his foot impatiently on the grass with an extremely annoyed and irritated look on his face.  
Ren figured out immediately that luck wasn't on his end either, but decided to ask anyway.

"Dammit. What the hell..."

"Did you find someone?"

"Is that what it looks like?"

"No."

"All of 'em kept sayin' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about...! Kamoshida had to have told 'em something!" Ryuji groaned angrily while punching the vending machine next to him.

"There must be some way..."

A short pause, then...

"Wait...! I think I know someone who might help us!" Ryuji nearly jumped.

"Eh?"

"Just follow me. I know where to find her."

Curiosity took over Ren as he followed Ryuji behind.  
He mentioned a _**her**_ , and that made him wonder: Could it be Emiko Hayashi?  
He highly doubted that since he stated that she stopped talking to him three years ago after the death of her father.  
She couldn't be possibly willing to help them, but Ryuji was her childhood friend so that was still a VERY small possibility.

However, his doubt was in his place when Ryuji stopped his tracks and pointed at a girl who was positioning her camera at a table to take a picture of a white butterfly that stood on it.  
She was a petite girl with shoulder-length black hair, shiny emerald green eyes, and a small beauty mark right under the corner of her right eye.

 

"Perfect." The petite girl mumbled that word.

"Yooo!" Ryuji approached her with the biggest grin ever.

"Ah...!" The girl flinched at the loud voice which made the butterfly fly away.

"It flew away... hey, what the hell--"

The girl turned her back looking pushed beyond angriness, but her expression almost immediately softened and turned into a shocked and surprised one when she saw Ryuji walking towards her while waving.

"Sakamoto-Kun?!"

The petite girl blinked her eyes a few times to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks before her lips curved to a huge grin that was equal to Ryuji's.

"Oh. My. God! It's really you!"

With a blink of an eye, she threw herself into Ryuji's arms hugging him tightly to the point of squeezing him and almost breaking his bones.  
Ryuji struggled to breathe between the tight grip of her arms. She was petite but was really strong.  
That sudden action caused Ren to tilt his head comically as question marks rose from his head.

But there was something that caught Ren's attention about her...

Bandages. Everywhere on her face and arms. She was no different from Shiho.

"Gah! You almost broke my bones, Shinohara!"

"Sorry, I'm just really happy to see you again after all this time."

"I can see that!" _Sarcasm_ was obvious in Ryuji's scream.

"Look at what you've done to your hair! Wow... I actually like it this way. Blonde suits you more than your old black hair."

"Are you for real?!"

"Um, who is she?" Ren trailed from confusion.

"Oh, yeah sorry. That's _**Mayu Shinohara**_. I've known her before and she's Mikki's neighbor. She lives right next door to her."

"Hmm..." Mayu leaned her face close to Ren's to observe him which made him uncomfortable.

"Um..."

"Oh, you're that rumored transfer student, aren't you? Ren Amamiya-Kun, was it?"

"Yes."

"You know, I never believed those rumors about you from the get-go. You definitely don't look like a person who'd assault someone, so don't worry about that!"

".........!"

Was Ren dreaming? Were his ears tricking him? Or was Mayu just bluffing?

"How's Takamaki? Still the same since last year?"

"Well..." Ryuji trailed.

"Come on, Sakamoto-Kun. You still haven't apologized to her yet? Grow up and be a man!"

"I know, I know..."

"You see, Amamiya-Kun, Sakamoto-Kun and Takamaki were really close to each other in middle school and even used to call each other by their first names. Well, until last year..."

"What happened?" Ren asked.

"That effin' Kamoshida. After he... broke my leg, I was so depressed and angry knowin' that I can't run anymore, and Takamaki just wanted to help me, but I acted like a total dick with her and pushed her away..."

".........." Ren was at a total loss for words.

"And speaking of Hayashi, are you two still... you know, not talking?"

"Yeah..."

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of that."

".........."

"Not only her dad died three years ago, but know there are those rumors about her too..."

"They're bullshit! Mikki'd never hurt a fly!"

"What are those rumors?" Ren just had to know.

"Sorry Amamiya-Kun, but it's best if you don't know."

"Yeah, man she's right. You really don't wanna know."

"I see..." But Ren was unsatisfied with that.

"So, how can I help you, gentlemen? I can see you haven't come here for idle chit-chat."

"Yeah, we wanna ask you somethin'."

"Sure."

"Is it true? Is Kamoshida beatin' you up?"

".........."

So, it WAS true. Mayu was a member of the volleyball team.

"...I-I'm sorry, Sakamoto-Kun, I want to help you but I can't answer that. Please, understand my situation... volleyball is everything I got, and I don't want anyone to take it away from me."

"Sigh... I know."

"I'm really sorry. I wish I could help you."

Mayu bowed before the two boys before hurriedly walking away.  
Even though she was one of Ryuji's acquaintances, she still couldn't help them, but her words made them even more and surer.  
Ren felt sad for the poor girl. She seemed to be really nice and polite and even confirmed that she never believed the rumors about him and that made her the second after Ryuji.

"What now?" Ren started.

"At this rate... it looks like we'll have to go to him directly..."

"We should've started with that."

"I know..."

"But?" Ren sensed that there was a **'but'** coming.

"But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this! Can you think of anything?"

"How about a sneak attack?"

"That'd be fine if we could do it without getting caught, but... if we did we'd be seriously done for. Got any other ideas...?"

"We should call the cops?"

"So you wanna tell 'em about the castle? They'd never believe us... have any other ideas...? What do we do...?"

"Let's punish the king."

"The king...? You mean that other world's Kamoshida?"

"I didn't think of that, but... is there any meaning to--" Ryuji shut his mouth when he looked at the distance and widened his eyes fully.

"What's wrong?"

"Holy shit! Mikki?!"

Ryuji ran as fast as he could away from Ren despite his injured leg which made the raven-haired look behind to see Emiko passing by that area with something really eye-catching about her appearance.

A bandage on her right cheek.

 _"That wasn't on her face yesterday."_ Ren thought to himself.

"Wh-What is this bandage? What happened?!"

"That doesn't concern you."

"It's Kamoshida, isn't he?"

"........!" Her face went pale.

Bingo.

"I knew it was him! That son of a--"

"I stopped being your friend for a good reason, you know. Or did you forget that, _**Sakamoto**_?"

"Wh-What...?!"

Calling Ryuji by his last name was like a bomb that's been thrown on him.  
His childhood friend whom he considered a sister in the past had just... officially and powerfully cut all of her ties with him.

"Why am I even wasting my time with you?"

Emiko walked away from the scene, and Ryuji didn't even bother himself to follow her.  
He was glued in his place like a statue as his blonde bangs shadowed his face.  
At that moment, he was deeply broken and devastated by someone who was very dear to him.  
He felt like his heart has split into half.

"Wait, Hayashi-San!" Unable to see his friend hurt that much, Ren followed the girl himself.

"What do you want, Amamiya? I was VERY clear that I don't want to talk to _you_."

"Why are you doing this to him? Wasn't he your childhood friend?"

"That's none of your business."

"It is. He's my friend."

"Oh, so you and Sakamoto are all buddy-buddy with each other. Well, good for you."

 _Sarcasm,_ again.

"I know that your father died three years ago and stopped talking to him after that, but that doesn't--"

"You don't know ANYTHING about me, Amamiya."

"But I'm just trying to help you."

"Help me?" She scuffed nervously.

"I see... I understand now. You're **_that_** kind of people."

"What do you mean?"

"You're that kind of people who think they **'can change the world'** or **'make a difference'** and help everyone to change them to better."

"Huh?"

"Well, new fact, big shot: Not everyone can be saved."

"Hayashi-San--"

"Wake up from your dreams, Amamiya. This isn't some shounen drama where you can make everything perfect and dandy. This is the real world, and it's very dark and cruel."

After those heavy words, Emiko walked away from Ren and left him at loss for words.  
She had just given him an extra reason to hate her even more than before due to her behavior with Ryuji a few moments ago.  
Just why was she acting like this, and with the boy she had probably spent most of her childhood with?

"Mikki, why...? I don't understand you anymore..." Ryuji's voice was broken like he was trying to hold back his tears.

"I--"

 

"I finally found you..." 

An unknown voice suddenly called the two boys as a black cat with shiny blue eyes came to them.  
They both looked around them to see who just talked to them, but it was only the two of them around.

"...You say something?" Ryuji asked Ren.

"No."

"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you." The black cat literally spoke while jumping up on the table.

"That voice... is that you, Morgana?!" Ryuji asked shockingly.

"How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!"

"The cat's talkin'?!"

"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two."

"Wait... you came to our world?! Does that mean you've got a phone?!"

"You don't need a one when you're at my level. I did get pretty lost making my escape though..."

"That aside, why can you talk?! You're a cat!"

"How should I know?!"

"You hearin' this too...?"

"Of course I do." Ren replied

"Then it really is Morgana..."

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses."

"Oh shuddup."

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do with Kamoshida. You were pretty close just a moment ago." Morgana shifted his gaze to Ren.

"How so?" Ren asked.

"God, that condescendin' attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana!"

"Were you still doubting me?!"

"Ack...! Quiet down!"

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this...?" A disciplinary committee teacher spoke from a distance.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?"

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around."

"Meow...? Does that mean only us two can understand what you're sayin'?" Ryuji asked.

"Looks like it." Morgana replied.

"What in the world is goin' on?" Ryuji scratched the back of his head "Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier... is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot."

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place..."

"How about the rooftop?" Ren suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Morgana purred happily.

"Here, stick it in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!" Ryuji told Ren while grabbing Morgana from his yellow collar.

"Hey! How dare you to treat me like--"

Not giving him the chance to continue his statement, Ryuji forcefully stuffed Morgana into his friend's bag from his head earning a cry of pain from him in the process.  
Ren felt sorry for the cat and opened his mouth to speak, but Ryuji was already walking away from him.  
He knew it was hopeless so followed him with a sweatdrop on his forehead.

*******

_**\------The Rooftop------** _

"...Don't be so rough with me!" Morgana snapped.

"Enough of that!" Ryuji snapped too "You said that you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?"

"It has to do with what Ren was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle."

"What do you mean...?"

"That castle is how Kamoshida views the school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but It's deeply connected to the depths of his heart."

"Since the castle basically existed because of Kamoshida's distorted desires." Ren added.

"Correct. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What'd happen?" Ryuji asked.

"A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires so, if that castle were no more..."

"His desires would go too." Ren continued the sentence.

"Precisely! You sure do pick up things fast!"

"For real?! H-He's gonna turn good?! But... is that really gettin' back at him?"

"Erasing a palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!"

"You for real?! That's possible?!"

"And since the Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only we'll be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement."

"That's amazing! You're a one incredible cat!"

"True, except for the cat part."

"So how do we get rid of the Palace?"

"By stealing the treasure held within."

"...Stealing...?"

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most secret valuable, secret plan after all. If you want to help me out, I'd gladly teach you. What's your call?"

"Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along..."

"You're right..." Ren agreed.

"Good. Oh right. There's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there's no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love--those sorts of things"

"What are you gettin' at?"

"If all those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no difference than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given proper care. So..."

"They might die?" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Will you listen to everything I have to say first?"

"Would their deaths be our fault?"

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?"

"Hey... what do you think?" Ryuji sought an answer from Ren.

"We'll have to risk it..."

"For real?!"

"Sheesh... I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out."

"That's not the point! If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida."

"Isn't this your only option?" Morgana asked.

"...I'll come back later. Make sure you'd make your decision by then. I won't force you to decide right now."

And with that said, Morgana left the rooftop and the two boys behind him at a total loss.

"Man... we're gettin' all worked up for nothin'... dammit!"

"I... don't even know what to do anymore..." Ren said scratching his hair.

"I'll try to see if I can figure out another way. C'mon, let's get outta here."

Walking to the school's gate, Ren never stopped thinking about the words that Morgana had told them.  
Erasing Kamoshida's Palace by stealing his treasure would make him confess all of his crimes, but there was the high risk of him dying.  
At that point, even Ren didn't know what was the right thing to do.

Sure Kamoshida was an asshole for abusing and beating him his team so monstrously like a wild animal torturing its prey.  
He deserved a very powerful punishment, but killing him won't do any good.  
Ren really wanted to help those players and their luck was running out, so he had to think of an alternative, and the vibrating sound of his phone wasn't giving much help either.

 _Ryuji: Hey! I heard som_ _ething that got my attention._

_Ryuji: About that Suzui girl... looks like rumors are going around her and Kamoshida._

_Ryuji: If they're true, then it's no wonder why I couldn't get her to talk._

_Ryuji: Still, something about that doesn't seem right..._

_Ren: What do you mean? Do you know something?_

_Ryuji: It's just impossible._

_Ryuji: I've known Takamaki and Suzui since middle school._

_Ryuji: There's just no way Kamoshida's their type, y'know?_

_Ryuji: So... I gotta wonder where those rumors came from._

_Ryuji: Well, whatever. I'll try asking around some more._

"This seems troublesome..." Ren sighed as placing his phone in his pocket.

*******

 _ **\------Aoyama**_ - _ **Itchome Station------**_

Finally, Ren arrived at Aoyama-Itchome station to take the train home while his mind still preoccupied with Morgana's words.  
It IS possible to make Kamoshida stop all his evil actions, but with a very huge price.  
His mind felt like it was swinging backward and forward between his two options.

His morality, or the lives of the victims?

Feeling like his head was going to explode from thinking too much about it, Ren held his head whilst heading to the platform.  
He really longed to sleep deeply at that moment and a nice and warm plate of delicious and tempting curry.

And yet, the voice of a girl talking on her phone forced Ren to get out of those daydreams.  
He lifted his eyes up to see the familiar flashy ash blonde-haired girl.  
She seemed really angry and frustrated while talking too, so Ren knew that it was serious.

"Will you please give it a rest?! I told you, I'm not feeling up to it... wait, what...?! That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?! This has nothing to do with Shiho!"

"Ah..."

The line was hung up in her face.

"Shiho's... starting position..."

Ann crouched on the ground burying her face into her hands and gave up to crying.  
Her sobs told the fact that she was holding them for too long and that made Ren start feeling sorry at her and angry at himself for not being able to solve that case so far.

Yeah, he knew it was Kamoshida on the other line.

"Wait... were you listening Haven't you heard of privacy?"

"No, I..." Ren tried to defend himself.

"...No, I was out of line. Sorry. So how much did you hear...?" She wiped her tears away.

"Something about a friend of yours."

"Shiho... It's nothing at all. Nothing..."

She wanted to run away at that moment so badly.  
Just to run away so far from everything and attempted to flee away from Ren, but he was smart and knew she'd do that, so he grabbed her wrist tightly before she could run to anywhere, but his dark hair was covering her eyes so nobody could read a clear expression on his face.

"Just leave me alone!"

"........."

"Why...? Why you keep worrying about me?"

"Let's go somewhere safe and talk about this."

"What in the world...?! I really don't get you."

*******

_**\-------Big Bang Burger------** _

All the way, the two teenagers were awkwardly silent and none of them talked to the other, and that continued until they reached a restaurant called Big Bang Burger.  
Ren recognized it immediately since there was a branch of it in his hometown but didn't visit it much.  
They were welcomed by the cozy atmosphere and the dusky sunlight illuminating their surroundings with multiple hues of gorgeous orange and yellow.

They sat on a vacant table to figure all of this out.  
The waitress came and ordered two drinks for themselves before she left to serve them.  
Ren was looking at Ann sternly who was trying her best not to break down again in front of a stranger.

"I don't have anything to talk about with you. It was just an argument."

"With Kamoshida, right?"

"........."

"Thank you very much!" The waitress served them their drinks.

"You've heard the rumors... haven't you? About Mr. Kamoshida." Ann said while playing with the napkin in front of her.

"Everyone says we're getting it on. But... that's so not true...!"

"........." Ren grunted.

 

"That was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number... for the longest time... he told me to go to his place after this... you know what it means." Ann gripped her nails into the napkin.

"If I turn him down, he said that he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team... I've been telling myself that this is all for Shiho's sake... I can't take it anymore..." Ann rested her back on the seat and seemed on the edge of tears.

"........." Ren wanted to say something, but words wouldn't come out from his mouth.

"I've had enough of this... I hate him! But still... Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school! Tell me... what should I do...?" Ann looked at Ren hopelessly. Her eyes were drenched and drowned in tears.

".........."

Ren gripped his fingers into his pants under the table in pure frustration.  
It hurt and cut him seeing Ann in such a vulnerable and fragile state. It hurt him to the bones.

"I'm sorry..."

"Huh? What are you apologizing for?"

"I'm sorry... because you had to go through all of this. I cannot imagine all the pain you're experiencing."

"Sorry... I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem." Ann wiped her eyes "What am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before..."

"It's fine."

"Huh? You're so weird. Usually, everyone just ignores me. Are you really a bad person as the rumor says? You just don't seem like it."

"I'm bad to the bone."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Ann chuckled.

"Is it...?" Ren chuckled back.

"I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations. You seemed lonely--almost like you didn't belong anywhere... we're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you."

"Belong, huh..."

"Is there really no way for me to help Shiho? I wish he'd just change his mind... like forget about me, and everything... as if something like that would ever happen."

"It could happen."

"I wasn't asking for a serious response. But I do feel a bit better now." Ann smiled sadly "...I'm gonna head home now. Don't tell anyone what I told you, OK?"

"Of course not."

"I'll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida. Well... thanks."

Ann grabbed her drink with her before heading away but before she could walk out of the restaurant, she stole a final glance at Ren who remained at his sitting position.  
Even though she didn't know him well, something about him made her feel little reassured and that she could trust him. It was a sensation that she couldn't quite explain or get a grasp of it.  
With a calm smile on her lips, Ann pushed the glass door open and made her way home.

 _"It could happen..."_ She repeated his words in her mind.

*******

_**\------Meanwhile: Shujin Academy------** _

The school day was done long ago so any lingering students had to leave immediately.  
Shiho wasn't feeling very well and yearned to leave the school grounds and head home.  
She was extremely tired to the point of not wanting to see the school's scene in front of her any longer.

"Suzui..." Mishima approached her "Are you leaving?"

"What is it?"

"Mr. Kamoshida is asking for you. He's in the PE faculty office."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know. Well... I have to go."

And with that, said the dark-haired volleyball player left her alone with the thought of Kamoshida asking for her swirling in her mind.  
Shiho stood still about to cry loudly. She didn't know what Kamoshida wanted, but she knew that it can't be any good when it's about him.

Her phone rang which forced her to get out of her state of despair and misery, thus she pulled it out to look at the caller ID, but seeing the name alone made her want to cry even more.

"Ann..."

She rejected the call because she didn't want her best friend to hear her crying.  
Ann was dealing with enough already and never wanted her to worry about her sake more than she did already.  
Wiping her tears away, Shiho walked down the hallways to see what that wicked teacher could possibly want from her.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc------_ **

He never stopped thinking about her.

Ann's image lingered in his mind; her cries, tears, calls for help.  
It broke Ren from inside out remembering the hopelessness and helplessness she must've been experiencing.  
He finally knew the truth about her and the rumors regarding her too; it was all so her best and only friend Shiho could be a regular on the time.  
She was sacrificing her reputation for her.

Ren opened the café's door with that issue in mind, and was greeted by the angry was of Sojiro who was reading a newspaper.

"You're late, where have you been?"

"Some thug was bothering me."

"Sigh... just don't come running to me when you get arrested. That'll be it for you, remember? By the way, you haven't been hanging around any bad influences, have you?"

"I actually made a friend."

"Huh. They've gotta be pretty strange to want to spend time with you."

"No."

"Just make sure you're careful who your friends are, if you don't want them ruining your life. Look at the time. Seriously, think about how I feel having to stay up here waiting for you. Hey, I'm leaving. In the future, try not to come back so damn late. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Ren nodded obediently in reply which Sojiro stand up and lock the shop's door behind him  
Ren climbed up the stairs to the attic where he stayed before throwing his bag on the table.

He threw himself on his comfy bed as well and felt exhaustion rising up in him.  
His body ached and his head hurt him from all the events that occurred today and the thinking he did.

Mayu Shinohara, Shiho Suizui, Emiko Hayashi, Ann Takamaki, the truth behind Ann, Morgana's words, Kamoshida, and everything...  
His eyelids were heavy and were about to close by themselves, but...

Ryuji texted him and cut his sleep.

Great, just great.

_Ryuji: So, whaddya think about what Morgana told us?_

_Ryuji: I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires..._

_Ryuji: And Kamoshida's gonna turn like, brain dead if we mess up, right?_

_Ryuji: I mean, sure I'm pissed at him..._

_Ryuji: But I dunno if I really wanna kill the guy..._

_Ren: Yeah, that's too much._

_Ryuji: For sure._

_Ryuji: I mean, maybe I'm just freaking out, but I don't wanna end up as a murderer cause of this shit._

_Ryuji: Oh well..._

_Ryuji: I'll try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God! I feel awful for Ann, you know. TT^TT
> 
> For those who played Persona 5, you KNOW what's going to happen next.
> 
> Hooooooo boy!
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Tue/Feb 12/2019


	8. Chapter 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beautiful rose has its thorns!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOOO BOY!!! YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!!! YOU KNOW!!!

 

 

**_\------Next Day: Class 2_** - ** _D------_**

"So, I assume all of you know the separation of powers? There are three branches in our government. The National Diet is legislative, and the Supreme Court is judiciary. This division of power provides checks and balances, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable." Mr. Uchimaru explained.

"Have you made up your mind?" Suddenly Morgana popped up under Ren's desk.

"M-Morgana?" 

"No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me."

"Why are you in there?" 

"Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?" 

"Be quiet, Morgana."

"M-Meow!" 

"Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby....? Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!" 

Ren sighed mentally in relief since Morgana wasn't _directly_ exposed, and if he had, Ren'd be in deep trouble and he was already dealing with enough.  
Still, Emiko's harsh words for him stood out.  
Was he really living in dreams thinking he can save everybody?  
Could it be that she was right?

And yet, Ryuji decided to pull him out from that inner struggle by texting him in class.

_Ryuji: It's no use... I can't think of any other way..._

_Ren: Concentrate on class!_

_Ryuji: I can't deal with this shit right now. I mean, what're we gonna do about Kamoshida?_

_Ryuji: Do we just gotta go along with what that cat says?_

_Ryuji: Ugh, that dang furball._

"If he only knew that I'm reading this too..." 

"Hey...! What's that...?!" A standing male student exclaimed.

"Enough! This is a classroom!" 

"Wait... she's going to jump...!" 

"Suzui...?" Mishima stood up quickly.

"Shiho...?" Ann stood up nervously as her face all written with horror.

"Huh?!" Even Emiko was no exception.

"Hey! Stay in your seats! Do not step foot outside the of this room!" 

"Oh no..." Ann hurriedly ran outside of the class.

All of the students ran outside of the class to the hallways watching the dark-haired girl standing on the edge of the roof at the same time Ren rushed out of the room.  
Shiho stood on the edge of the rooftop with the wind playing with her dark locks.

Images of herself and Ann laughing in joy played in her mind as well as Kamoshida's sly smirk.

However, it was too late... Shiho already gave up and threw herself down from the roof in an abnormal speed.

"........!" Ann gasped loudly in shock cupping her mouth.

The entire hallway filled with horrified gasps, yelps, and screams.  
A girl had just thrown herself down between the eyes of many students.  
Ren was the same too. He backed away while covering his mouth and felt like his heartbeat increased crazily.  
Sweat was also rolling down from his forehead and felt like his knees were shaking.

He couldn't help her even though he wanted that so badly.

"No... why...? Shiho...!" Ann barely mumbled these words then ran to her best friend.

Ren couldn' take it any more and immediately rushed behind Ann.  
He kept mentally chanting that Shiho didn't die and somehow survived the fall.  
His lips also chanted it quietly as he desperately ran to the courtyard while shutting his eyes close tightly.  
On the way, he spotted Ryuji who wasn't any less shocked than him.

"H-Hey, what's goin' on?! We should hurry to the courtyard too!

*******

_**\------The Courtyard------** _

With that, the two ran to the courtyard where there were too many students gathering and blocking the view in the process while taking pictures and footages with their phones like paparazzi running after the hot scoop showing no remorse or manners whatsoever.

Just when did the morality go away?

"There's no way we're going to pass all these people." Ren spoke.

"Hey, lemme through!" 

"What?" A male student asked.

"Outta the way, man! Please!"

When they finally made their way, they saw Shiho lying down on a stretcher.  
Her face was brutally covered with bruises, injuries, wounds, and cuts everywhere.  
Even worse than before. A lot worse.

"Class is still in session!" A panicking teacher exclaims.

"Shiho...!" 

"What the hell's wrong with these people?" 

"We need someone to go with her. Are there any teachers around?" A paramedic asked.

"I-I'm not in charge of her class though..." 

"We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa..." 

"I'll go!" Ann stood up.

"Please hurry!" The paramedic spoke quickly as Ann ran over to Shiho.

"Shiho... why...?" 

"Ann...? I'm sorry... I-I can't take this... anymore..." 

"Shiho...?" Ann questioned as leaning close to Shiho's ear "...Huh? Kamoshida?!" 

"Ngh..." Shiho was struggling when she finally lost consciousness.

"No... Shiho?!" 

Ann cried out on top of her lungs as the paramedics put Shiho in the ambulance car that drove away in the distance.  
The students remained standing in their spots exchanging all kinds of murmurs and whispers among themselves.  
Even Ren whose fingers reached to his black blazer and gripped his fingers tightly in its fabric.

"Volleyball team..." Ryuji trails.

"Return to your classrooms at once!" 

"Ah... ah..." Mishima was trembling while running away.

"That guy... hey, wasn't Mishima acting weird?"

"Definitely." Ren agreed.

"...We're gonna make him talk this time." 

"Teachers, return to your classrooms for the time being! Please do not let any students go home yet!" Principal Kobayakawa showed up.

"........!"

Emiko gagged at the sight that unfolded just a few moments ago.  
Like everyone, she witnessed everything, even the moment Shiho jumped down and that made her gag real bad.

Unable to hold the urge that was swirling inside her anymore, she ran off away from the crowds to the nearest trashcan.  
She held her stomach while throwing up everything that she ate even from last night.  
The smell and sight of her vomit didn't offer much help either.

"Bleeeeegh....!"

After she finished emptying everything, she felt lightheaded and her knees were no longer able to support her weight.  
She collapsed down on the ground while panting heavily to the point of placing her hand over her chest.

"Ngh... S-Suzui..."

On the other hand, Ren and Ryuji followed Mishima after he suspiciously ran away from the scene and were able to catch up to him.  
Ryuji forcefully dragged him all the way to the locker room throwing him on it and made his back hit it.  
But little did they know, that Morgana was there watching it too.

"It hurts!" 

"Why'd you run like that?! Huh?!"

"I didn't run..."

"She jumped and tried to kill herself!" Ryuji punched the locker again.

"L-Leave me alone." 

"Do you know something?" Ren asked while crossing his arms.

"He's right! We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say that you talked either!"

"Suzui... she was called by Mr. Kamoshida!"

"What?!"

"I was called by him a number of times too... to the faculty room. It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood... and hit them."

"So the physical punishment thing was real..." 

"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything... Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been... worse than usual.."

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" 

"...Ah!" 

With that yell, Ryuji vented his anger on the locker for the third time before rushing away to confront that abuser without much thinking.  
That made Ren and Mishima follow him to ensure that he won't do anything stupid and stealthily followed by Morgana as well.

*******

_**\------PE Faculty Office-------** _

"Huh?" Kamoshida raised an eyebrow as Ryuji barged into the room.

"You bastard! The hell did you do to that girl?!" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Don't play dumb with me!" Ryuji kicked a chair real hard.

"That's enough!" 

"What you did... wasn't coaching!" Mishima spoke.

"What did you say?" Kamoshida growled as standing up from his chair.

"You... you ordered me to call Suzui here! I can only imagine what you did to her!"

"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of. Basically, you're simply making these claims because you can't be regular on the team, right?"

"That's not what this is about...!" 

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking, what can you do? We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim. How would someone like that make a statement? There's no chances of her getting better, I hear... the poor girl." 

Fake sympathy. O, _very_ fake.

"That can't be..."

"You bastard!" Ryuji shouted.

"This again? Does this means that we need to have yet another case of **'self-defense'**?"

"Shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!" 

He was going to punch that stupid smirky face of his.  
He wanted to do that more than anything and didn't care anymore of what'll happen to him.

But someone cared.

Ren...

He stopped Ryuji's fist from doing something he might regret for a very long time.

"Why're you stoppin' me?!" 

"Don't let him get you." 

"But still!" 

"Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise. There's no need to hold back, why not attacking me? ...Ohhh, you can't. Hahaha, but of course you can't!" 

"........." Ren narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone present right now... will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you to the next board meeting."

"You can't make a decision like that...!" Mishima protested.

"Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too Mishima, so you're just as responsible."

"Huh...?" 

"To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked Amamiya's criminal records, didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

"I-Is that true?" Ren asked him.

"He told me to do it. I had no choice." Mishima collapsed on his knees.

"Now, are we finished here? You're all expelled! You're done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight."

"I can't believe this asshole's gettin' away with this...!" 

"He'll eat his words." Ren said firmly.

"Huh? ...Oh right. We have that!"

"Huh? Have you lost your minds? I don't understand what a garbage like you are thinking, but go ahead and try. All you can do is wait for your disposal though..."

"........." 

Unknown to the two boys, Emiko stood outside the room's door leaning her back on the wall.  
Her dark brown locks shadowed her face down to her nose, so no clear expression could be pinpointed from it.  
And before the two could exit the room, she left without saying anything.

*******

_**\------After School: The Courtyard------** _

"We can't waste any time. We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that freak!" Ryuji punched the vending machine.

"...We're not beating him up. We're simply stealing his distorted desires." Morgana cleared.

"Right." Ren nodded.

"Can I assume that you've made up your minds about this--about go he might suffer a mental shutdown?" 

"...I have. Someone almost died because of him! I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore!"

"And you, Frizzy Hair?"

"This can't go on. We can't let others go through what Suzui-San did."

"...Then it's settled!" 

"By the way, is getting rid of a Palace hard...? You've tried it before, right?" Ryuji asked.

"...When did I ever say that?"

"...Eh? WHAT?! Were you just pretendin' to know?!"

"Is it true that you're getting expelled? Everyone's talking about it." Ann approached the boys.

"That asshole's at it again...! So you came all this way to tell us that?"

"If you're going to deal with Kamoshida... let me in on it too. I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!"

"But, Takamaki-San--"

"This has nothing to do with you... don't butt your head into this..."

"But it does! Shiho's my--" 

"I said don't get in our way!"

"........." Ann gritted her teeth before running away.

"...That was harsh." Morgana commented.

"We can't take her somewhere like that..." 

"I hope that she doesn't torment herself over this. When it comes down to it, women don't hesitate."

"We just gotta hurry up and deal with Kamoshida. Let's go already!"

Agreeing with Ryuji, Ren nodded in acknowledgment before leading the way out of the school grounds heading to the alleyway he and Ryuji first walked into to Kamoshida's castle.  
On the way, his mind was preoccupied with many scenarios running in his mind. The image of Shiho jumping down haunted him.

"The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like Phantom Thieves, so I hope you're ready." Morgana said.

"Huh, Phantom Thieves?" Ryuji dumbfounded.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure--that is what we become!"

"That sounds kinda cool! So we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name and.... castle? Then we end up in a bizarre world ...How the hell all this work? Someone make it?"

"It doesn't matter, Ryuji." Ren spoke.

"True. There's no point I thinkin' about that now. We'll show that effin' Kamoshida!"

"Let's go!" Morgana said as they gathered into a circle around Ren.

"They really are going to do something..." Ann said while spying on them from afar "They're doing something with their phones? A name... school...?"

And suddenly everything nearby and around Ann got distorted and turned to a dark purple vortex.  
This caught her off guard and couldn't even gasp as her surroundings warped.

"Huh..?!" 

*******

_**\------The Metaverse------** _

"All right! Time to bust on through!"

"What's this?!" Ann shouted.

"T-Takamaki-San?!" 

"That voice... Sakamoto?! And the new kid?"

"Hello, I'm Amamiya."

"Wh-Wh-Why are you here?!"

"How should I know?!" 

"What's going on? Hey, where are we...?! Isn't this the school?!"

More whatsoever, Morgana was admiring Ann's beauty.  
His eyes never left her and felt himself being lovestruck since his eyes turned to hurts and even hearts were floating around him.  
Ann was perfect in his eyes, in every way possible.

"Um, Morgana?" Ren sweatdropped.

"I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull anyone nearby."

"For real...?" 

"Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida?!" 

"Anyways, you gotta leave!" 

"No!" 

"The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene." Morgana warned.

"No way! It talked?!" Ann gasped "Oh my God! It's a monster cat...!"

"Monster...? Gong!" Morgana's eyes turned comically white before lowering his head.

"Ain't you gonna say your **'I'm no cat'** thing?"

"Shut up! Leave me alone, monkey!" 

"Monkey?! You little--"

"You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do!" Ann raised her voice.

"Looks like we have to force her." Ren sighed hopelessly.

"But... how're we supposed to do that?"

"Just take her back to where we came in. That's how it worked last time, right?" Morgana asked.

"O-Oh yeah. Can you lend me a hand?" 

"Got it." Ren nodded as they walked to Ann.

"What are you--?!"

"We'll explain after everything's over!" 

"Hey! And just where are you touching?!"

"Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean--" Ryuji stopped his sentence "...That's not important!"

"You guys seriously-- Ah?!" Ann cried out when they pushed her back into the hole they usually came from.

"We better be careful from now on when we use that app..." Ryuji said.

"You should've checked the tools you used! Why do I--the one who was just watching--know more about it than you two?!" 

"Sh-Shuddup!" 

"Sigh..." Ren placed a finger on his forehead.

"Geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin' off... we gotta deal with this fast!" 

"That girl's name is Ann Takamaki, right? Lady Ann..."

"Lady?" Ren repeated.

"The Shadows have noticed us. You better brace yourselves, got it? We're counting on you, Joker!" 

"Joker?" 

"That a nickname?" Ryuji asked.

"Don't refer to it in such a lame way. It's a code name. What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name?! I'm not down for that! And there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace... it's just a precaution."

"So, why's he Joker?" 

"Because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength." 

"Joker, huh? Not bad." Ren grinned.

"It's settled then! Next up is you, Ryuji. You'll be... let's see... **'Thug'**."

"Pfffttttttt..." 

"Are you pickin' a fight with me?! I'll choose it myself! Hm... when it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask. Honestly, I actually kinda like it. What if we named me after this?"

"Fine... why not **'Skull'** then?"

"Ooh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull!" 

"It's all right, I think..." Joker trailed.

"What do we do about this one's code name?" Skull pointed at the cat.

"What do you think?" 

"...How 'bout **'Mona'**?" 

"Well, if Joker thinks it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it. All right. From here on out, we're Joker, Skull, and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on!" 

"All right, let's go nab that Treasure thing!" 

As the group rushed inside the of the castle, Ann somehow was able to crawl out from the hole after the Meta-Nav app popped on her phone out of nowhere and walked towards the entrance.

"This is that place from earlier...! ...What's up with this app? I just said the words Sakamoto said, and I ended up--"

"Princess?!" A castle soldier called.

"Huh?"

"Princess!" Three castle soldiers ran towards the girl.

"Aaaaaaaah!" 

*******

Infiltrating the castle wasn't an easy task like Skull believed it would be.  
There were guards and soldiers scattered everywhere even more than the last time making the mission of sneaking around almost impossible, thus, they hid in a room waiting for the right opportunity to go out.

"Aren't there even more Shadows here than before? Just gettin' this far's been a real pain in my ass!"

"It's all because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know. Still... he seems to be awfully on guard..."

"Anyways, how're we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?" 

"Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route." 

"A what...?" 

"A path to the Treasure's location." 

"But, honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice..." 

"Hey, you say you don't have your memories and all, but somehow you still know about that kinda stuff? Do you think this thing's really got amnesia?" Skull asked his partner.

"I believe in Mona. No questions asked." 

"At least you are a step above that moron." 

"Don't call me a moron!" 

"Guys?" Joker called. 

"You sure talk big, but what if it turns out you're just some stray cat in the end?"

"That can't be..." 

"Still, why was the princess in such an odd place...?" A guard's voice said from not too far.

"Princess...?" Joker trailed when Mona walked to the door eavesdropping at the conversation.

"I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder..." l

"It doesn't matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida!" 

"Who's this princess they're talkin' about...?" Skull asked.

"I should probably look into this!" Mona exited the room.

"And yet another question goes unanswered... stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious... but Morgana's got 'em both beat." 

"Remember, code names!" 

"Crap, sorry! What was I again? ...Oh yeah, Skull!"

"This is bad!" Mona stepped into the room.

"That was fast." Joker commented.

"Your friend... Lady Ann! She's been taken by Shadows...!" 

"Wait, what? We sent her home earlier." Skull widened his eyes.

"If Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible."

"Oh no... don't tell me it got put on hers just like mine...?! Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself...!

*******

"What's this all about? Seriously, I'm gonna call the cops!" Ann cried out while being chained.

Ann cried loudly as struggling to break loose from the handcuffs that were pinning her on the wall as being surrounded by knights.

"So, this is the intruder." 

"Kamoshida?!" Ann gasped in shock as the fake sexy princess Ann came in too "Who's that? I don't know what's going on. More importantly, what is this place?! Why's the school turned into something like this?!"

"I can't believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her. Are you afraid?"

"What's that outfit? Have you lost your mind?"

"I do as I please here. After all, this is MY castle. The world of my desires."

"What the--?! Wait... is this some red-light district?"

"What a lively slave." 

"This isn't funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!"

"Tch... the girl decides to tell me off. What do you think?"

"Talking back is like... totally unforgivable.." Princess Ann wooed in a seductive voice.

"In that case... SHE SHOULD BE EXECUTED!" Shadow Kamoshida exclaimed pointing at Ann as the guards walked to her and pulled out their swords near her neck.

"Now then, how should I play with you?" Shadow Kamoshida smirked "Shall I tear you into little pieces?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Ann widened her eyes.

Meanwhile and not too far away, what the Phantom Thieves were witnessing was something beyond imagination.  
It made them disgusted and angry at the same time seeing how lewd and messed up Kamoshida's desires were taking the form of the ugliest things imaginable.

Sex slaves.

"This is effed up." Skull gaged.

"This is horrible. This is really even worse than I thought." Joker admitted.

"Hey, that's...!" Mona exclaimed upon seeing Ann before running to her with the boys.

"Takamaki!" Skull called.

"Now, how shall I play with you? Maybe cut off one limb at a time?" Shadow Kamoshida pulled a sword dragging the zipper of Ann's white hoodie down with its edge.

"No!"

"Maybe I'll start with your clothes..." He pulled the sword's edge closer to her black shirt starting to slowly tear it down while licking his lips.

"You're such a perv~" Princess Ann giggled.

"Don't..."

_"Sakamoto, help me..."_

"Stop right there, you sick perv!" Skull shouted while running in.

"Just when I was about to start enjoying myself..." 

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"Hold on, Lady Ann! We'll save you!" 

"What's the deal with this guy?!"

"You little..." Skull growled.

"How many times are you going to come back?" 

"Kamoshida, you...!" Joker narrowed his eyes.

"I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah! I forgot that chick's name, but It's your fault she jumped you know."

"Huh?" 

"You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place." 

"You bastard!" Ann said as the guards were coming closer to her 

"........!" She gasped.

"One more step and I'll kill her on the spot." 

"Dammit...!" Skull backed a little.

"Just sit and enjoy the dismantlement." Shadow Kamoshida smirked.

"No! Don't!" Ann pleaded for her life.

"Takamaki-San!"

"This is bad!" Mona exclaimed.

"H-Hey what're we gonna do now?!" Skull freaked out as the guards walked even closer to Ann.

"Is this... my punishment for what happened to Shiho?"

"That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start."

"Shiho... I'm so sorry..." 

"You'll just give in? Without paying him back, for you or Suzui-San?" Joker asked firmly.

"Huh?" 

"She's your friend, right? Your only friend!" 

"You're right. What was I thinking?"

"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and--"

"SHUT UP! I've had enough of this! You piss me off you SON OF A BITCH!"

_**"My... It's taken far too long."**_ A mysterious voice rang inside Ann's head.

"Urgh...!" 

_**"Tell me... who is going to avenge her if you don't?"** _

_**"Forgiving him was never the option..."** _

_**"Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within..."** _

_**"I am thou, thou art I..."** _

_**"We can finally forge a contract..."** _

"I hear you... Carmen." Ann said as her eyes turned from green to golden. Then a whine red-colored panther mask appeared on her face.

"You're right. No more holding back...!" 

_**"There you go... nothing can be solved by restraining yourself."** _

With her renewed and flaming resolve, Ann felt a massive power running through her body and broke free from the handcuffs with all of her might while everyone present got shocked.

_**"Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength..."** _

Ann ripped off her mask as blood dripping from her face while the crazy and out of control blue flames came out surrounding her in the shape of tornado, and when everything calmed down Ann's Persona came to life in the shape of elegant lady who wears a long dress filled with roses and her hair tied into twin drills, while Ann's clothes changed to a skin-tight red latex catsuit worn with a cleavage cutout, zippers, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots and has a clipped on tail in the back.

Then, Ann ran to the guards and knocked their swords off, grabbed a sword and angrily sliced the cognitive fake Ann as Kamoshida's shadow stepped back scared like a little pussy.

"You know what? I'm NOT some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag!" 

"You bitch!" 

"You stole everything from Shiho... you destroyed her... now, it's my turn!" 

"I will rob you of everything!" 

"How dare you? Enough of your insolence!" A guard went berserk into a demonic shadow.

"No, I'VE had enough of you. No one's gonna stop me now! Let's go, Carmen!"

"How dare you deny king Kamoshida's love you selfish ass?" 

"That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets! Don't make me laugh with that **'love'** bullshit! C'mon, Carmen! Let's give 'em hell!" 

"We have to fight with her too!" Joker announced.

"Yeah!" Skull nodded.

"Let's do it, Joker!" Mona exclaimed.

"I'm done holding back! Now it's my turn!" 

Ann spoke as Carmen turned back to a mask on her face.  
She delicately jumped up and in the air and attacked one of the Shadows with her whip by swinging it with firm movements.

"Not enough whip for you? Dance, Carmen!" 

Blue flames covered Ann's face as called her Persona which evolved taking the form of Carmen who almost immediately knocked another Shadow down with a fire attack.

"Cry for me!" Another deadly swing from her whip.

"Scary..." Skull had a cold sweat rolling on his face "A cougar? Or maybe she's one of those..."

"Don't say cougar! And what do you mean by **'one of those!'** " Ann scolded the blonde-haired.

"Don't let your guards down, rookies!" Mona warned before jumping and shooting his slingshot at a pixie.

"Smash!" 

Skull summoned Captain Kidd who cast electricity at the third Shadow and thus knocking it down on sight.  
However, the first Shadow stood up again attempting to cast wind that nearly caused the rest to fly back, but they desperately struggled to hold themselves on the floor.

"Arsene!"

Joker knew exactly what must be done and summoned his initial Persona blocking the attack with its wings that repelled the wind until it calmed down.

"One more time!" Ann ordered Carmen who knocked the Shadow down with fire.

"Let's go, you guys!" Joker jumped backward.

"Let's wipe them out in style!" 

Ann jumped next to Joker along with Skull before finishing the battle with a stylish All-Out Attack giving everything they had by attacking it all together non-stop.

"A beautiful rose has its thorns!"

"To think... there would be a woman... who could stand up to king Kamoshida..." 

"Pff, outside of school, that guy's nothing but a loser." 

"Oh shit!" Shadow Kamoshida gasped then ran like a little pussy.

"Wait..." Ann collapsed on her knees.

"Why'd you come here, man? And more importantly how?"

"Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman? Are you all right, Lady Ann?"

"Lady Ann? Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk? And... where in the world are we?!" 

"J-Just calm down, Takamaki-San." 

"Everything's going to be okay. Don't worry." Mona reassured.

"How am I supposed to calm down?!" She snapped while putting her hand on Mona's head to stand up "H-Huh? Why am I dressed like this?!" 

"Well, I'm stumped... A search party will be coming for us soon. There's no time to explain! We don't have a choice. Let's retreat for now!"

"We were just gettin' fired up, and you had to go and get in the way... urgh... fine..." Skull growled.

"Ugh--" Ann collapsed again on her knees.

"Ooooooh~" Skull sang as he stared at her breasts.

"Don't look at me!" 

"Here, gimme your arm. You take the other side." Skull offered his hand to Ann and assisted by Joker after he activated the Nav.

*******

_**\------The Real World------** _

"Which one do you want?" Ryuji asked Ann while holding two cans of soda.

"Whichever's not carbonated."

"Uh, they're both actually." 

"Uh..." Ann trailed and choose one.

"Here ya go." Ryuji gave the second soda to Ren.

"Thanks." 

"What about me too?" Morgana popped out from Ren's bag

"Huh? But you're a cat." Ryuji pointed out.

"Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?" 

"Umm... Morgana, right? I really am talking to a cat... this feels so strange... oh sorry! You're not a cat, right?" 

"It's only natural that you're confused. Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much."

"Honestly, I still can't believe what happened... and that power... my Persona..."

"It's the will of rebellion, Lady Ann. With it, you'll be able to fight in that other world."

"So if what you told me is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is it really possible? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?"

"The volleyball team's keepin' quiet about this, while teachers and parents turn a blind eye. Goin' all in this plan is the only choice we got."

"Then let me help too. I want to make him pay for what he did to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her, I'll never forgive him. And not Shiho only, but for everyone who suffered from him."

"Wait, did you say **'let me help'**? You mean, you want us to take you along?"

"Don't act like I'm going to drag you down. Weren't you watching? I can fight too." 

"Hey, what should we do, Renren?"

"Well, Ann is very good. So, she'll be great."

"I agree as well. We are lacking in manpower, after all. Don't worry, I'll protect her." Morgana purred happily.

"Even if you say no, I'd just go in alone." 

"Oh right, she can go by herself... I guess it'd be more dangerous turnin' her down... urgh... fine..."

"Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along!" Ann smiled friendly.

"Welcome aboard." Ren nodded.

"I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake... but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him. I'll do whatever it takes!"

_"Whatever it takes..."_ Ren chanted mentally.

"Also, if it's the four of us, I feel like we can do it. No reason, just a feeling." 

"The four of us..." Morgana repeated.

"A woman's intuition, huh? Fine, fine. Even if I voted no, I'm sure I'd be overruled." Ryuji grinned goofily.

"What the hell, Sakamoto?! I'm being serious here!" 

"OK, from today, the four of us are a team, with a common goal. And we will get there. I look forward to working together." Ren grinned.

"Thanks, Amamiya-Kun." Ann beamed.

"Looking forward to it, Lady Ann!" 

"Yeah, likewise." 

_"I sense a strong fighting resolve from Ann..."_

_**"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of the Lovers Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."**_ A mysterious feminine calm voice rang in Ren's head.

_"What's that?"_  

Just let me know when you're heading back in... oh wait! We don't have each other's info. Hey all of you, give me your numbers and chat IDs. And um..." Ann pulled her phone out along with the others exchanging their contact info.

"I'm counting on you three, then. Same goes for you too, Morgana!" 

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann." 

"Well then, see ya!" Ann exclaimed before walking away.

"What a kind girl... such admirable consideration for others... and the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal... she cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot... what a girl! She captured my heart..." 

"Dude. You know, it'd be better if this group could get together quick from now on..." 

"True. Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things." 

"A hideout, huh...? I like the sound of that!" 

"How about the school's rooftop? Nobody goes up there. That should be a perfect hideout." Ren suggested.

"Great idea, Ren!" 

"Then it's decided!" Ryuji cheered.

"I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world. That being said, I'll need someone to take care of me. I'm personally nominating you, Ren. You should feel honored."

"Wait, what?!" 

"...That's all you. There's no way I can at my place." 

_**"Attention! The train will be arriving shortly! I repeat the train will be arriving shortly!"**_ The speaker said.

"Well, we now have our hideout, so let's meet tomorrow!" Ryuji exclaimed before running off.

"OK! Let's go look at my new residence for this world." 

*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc------** _

Exhausted, Ren didn't even know how he arrived home safely.  
The battle against Shadow Kamoshida took much of his stamina, and Morgana forcing him to take care of him wasn't any better at all.

"I'm back." 

"The store's still open. Go upstairs." 

"Hm...?"

Ren had a questioned look on his face upon seeing a shady-looking woman sitting in the café.

The woman had dark blue hair in a messy bob-cut with blunt bangs and brown eyes. She had red nail polish on her fingernails and toenails.  
She accessorized with a red grommet belt, a black studded necklace choker which connects to multiple necklaces, a bracelet, and strappy black platform high heels. She wore a short black jacket, a blue dress with a white spiderweb design, and black ripped leggings.

"...Yes?" The punk-rock woman seemed to notice how Ren was looking at her.

"Hey, lay off the customers. Sorry if he was rude, Doctor." 

_"Doctor? She DEFINITELY doesn't look like one."_

"...I don't mind." 

"Come on, you're getting in the way. Go on upstairs." 

"Sorry." 

"Sheesh..."

"...Thanks. I'll see you later." 

"Come back again." Sojiro told the dark blue-haired woman before exiting the café.

"Phew... that's it for today." Sojiro sighed deeply.

"What was that all about?" 

"Oh, that customer just now? She's the head doctor over at that clinic down the street. Rumor has it she gives pretty crappy examinations, and sells some weird homemade medicines on top of that. At least, that's what I've heard. I haven't been there myself." 

"I see..." 

"They should really just leave her alone. It's not like she's getting in the way of their lives..." 

"Hey, are we there yet?" Morgana asked from inside the bag.

"......." Sojiro had an alerted expression before saying "Well, I've gotta go home and start making dinner..."

"All right then. Good night." Ren walked up the stairs towards the attic.

Reaching the room upstairs, Ren placed his bag on the table and opened it causing Morgana to jump out from it.  
His expression grew in shock upon seeing the state the attic was at.  
Ren surely figured out that Morgana expected that his **'new home'** would be something more than that.

"What the...?! What is this place?! Is this some kind of abandoned house...?!"

"Be quiet, or else-- 

"Hey, are you--" Sojiro walked to Ren with an angered expression before noticing Morgana.

"...He'll come." Ren continued his sentence while sweatdropping.

"I was wondering why I heard meowing... what did you bring it here for?!" 

"But it doesn't have a home." Ren picked Morgana up before stroking his head "That's why I brought it here."

"Nowhere, huh...?" 

"Yeah. I mean, look at the poor thing." 

"Look, this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go..." 

"Please?" 

"Though I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of..." Sojiro pointed out before sighing "Fine..."

"Thank you." 

"But keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss it out. Oh, and I'm not gonna take care of it. That's all on you." 

"Fair enough." 

Ren nodded in agreement before Sojiro left the room, then he placed the cat back on his bed.  
Sojiro sure spoke and treated him roughly, but it seemed that he has wisdom of his own.  
It was a fair deal indeed.

"Wow, he might not be as douche as I thought..." 

"Was that ruler of this place?" Morgana asked.

"I guess that's a way to describe it..." 

"He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump. Then again, I suppose to normal people I just sound like a meowing cat." 

Morgana pointed out before Sojiro walked inside the room again placing a dish of food in front of Morgana.

The cat's eyes sparkled and lit in joy seeing the sight of the food as its delicious aroma filled his nose as well captivating his senses entirely.

"Seriously... it had to keep calling out in that cute little voice... make sure you wash that dish. By the way... have you decided on a name?"

"Eh? Um, Morgana." 

"Morgana? Huh... I was hoping I'd get to name it..." Sojiro sighed before leaving the room.

"That was... unexpectedly nice of him." 

"Looks like the chief likes me better than you." 

"........" 

"And to be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida's cells." Morgana pointed out before frowning "...Remember how you guys asked me before what I am?"

"Yeah?" 

"To be honest... I don't remember anything about my birth. I think the Metaverse's distortions made me lose both my memories and my true form." 

"Is that form human...?" 

"It has to be! I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this? There's no other possible explanation. There's no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I'm sure that once they're purged, I'll finally be able to get that self back. And I have a pretty good idea on what to do too. That's why I was in the castle in the first place." 

"Hm..." 

"Come to think of it, I didn't get hungry over in that world..." 

Morgana told himself before starting to eat the food that Sojiro gave him.  
He dug in and began stuffing his mouth with big and massive bits.  
That open appetite left Ren awestruck and thought that Morgana looked like he hasn't eaten anything in days.  
It didn't take long until Morgana finished his plate wholly and purred in happiness after his stomach got full.

"Let me make myself clear: Your taking care of me won't be for nothing. It'll be give and take. Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools." 

"What are those?"

"Whoa, I can't tell you more unless we settle on a deal. In exchange for you keeping me here, I'll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?"

"Sure. Let's do it." 

"I like that answer. Hehehe... then it's a deal." 

_"Morgana seems rather happy..."_

_**"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of the Magician Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."** _

_"This voice again...!"_  

"I'll lecture you about the infiltration tools over time." 

"Fair enough." 

"By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing. The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it'll be as a trump card. All right, I'm gonna stick with you wherever you go from today on. Personas are the strength born from one's heart. Depending on what kind of life experience you gain, I bet it'll affect that power as well!" 

"Hm...?" 

"And if you become acquainted with capable people, you might learn various, useful skills too... this is all part of our deal, got it?" 

"Sure..." 

"I expect great things from you. Don't let me down. OK?" 

*******

_**\------Time Skip: Late Night------** _

Several hours had passed since Ren brought Morgana to his new home and went to bed after such a tiring day in the Palace, especially that Ann awakened her Persona and battled Kamoshida's men.  
Everything was calm and dark. No voice could be heard in that utter and killing silence instead of Morgana's peaceful breathing as he curled himself next to Ren.  
While the noirest had his gaze fixed on the wooden ceiling above him since sleep had gone from his eyes.

_"I can't sleep..."_ Ren thought to himself _"I know it's been a little while since I came here, but I already miss home. Despite of what mom and dad did to me..."_

_"Even if I have Ryuji and Ann by my side now, but I still feel lonely... I bet we'll go our separate ways once this is over and forget we ever met..."_

_"I feel so lonely..."_

Then, Ren turned his face to his right. His eyes meeting the sleeping figure of Morgana curling himself next to him, breathing calmly and having a peaceful expression on his face.  
That cute scene caused Ren to grin to himself before reaching his hand and stroking Morgana's head gently so he doesn't wake him up.  
His black fur was soft and touching it like that sent genuine happiness over Ren.

_"But maybe... having company won't be so bad, after all..."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmm-hmmmmmm, a beautiful rose has its own deadly thorns indeed, Lady Ann.
> 
> And don't worry about Emiko's awakening. All good things happen in their right time.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed Ann's awakening though! :D
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Fri/Feb 22nd/2019


	9. Chapter 07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparing for the upcoming battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go, the seventh chapter is all here!  
> So sit down, relax, and enjoy the new chapter of Infinity.

 

 

_**\------Next Day: Shujin Academy------** _

  
_Ryuji: Hey, we're meeting up at the hideout after school, right?_

_Ann: Don't text now. We're in class._

_Ryuji: Whoa! You mean you're actually listening to all this crap?_

_Ann: Yeah, but none of it is really sticking today..._

_Ryuji: I know, right?_

_Ryuji: Anyways, hideout after school?_

_Ann: Where exactly is this 'hideout'?_

_Ren: The school's roof._

_Ann: Wait, we can still go up there?_

_Ryuji: Yeah, I'll let you in._

_Ryuji: Welp, I'll be waiting. Just come on up once school's over._

_Ren: Gotcha!_

"Hey, Amamiya! You! Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you?!"

The teacher raised his hand with the chalk stuffed in his palm and sending angry looks at Ren as if he was about to do something to him.  
The raven-haired knew exactly what Mr. Uchimaru was going to do, so he acted as the teacher threw the chalk powerfully.

It flew in an abnormal speed towards Ren who swiftly tilted his head sideways causing the chalk to fly right beside his head and hit the blackboard hung at the back of class creating a loud thump.

The whole class went silent for a moment after they just witnessed how the delinquent transfer avoided the flying chalk without even breaking a sweat like be predicted it would happen, and even the teacher had a shocked look on his face while Ren remained cool and collected.

"Whoa! That was an epic dodge!"

"That was nuts... is he a ninja?"

Such murmurs and whispers while the raven-haired just adjusted the position of his glasses over the bridge of his nose giving Mr. Uchimaru an **'innocent'** look on his face making him continue the lecture like nothing happened.

After all, no one messes with Ren Amamiya.

*******

_**\------After School: Shujin's Rooftop------** _

"Looks like we're all here. Mkay, let's get goin'!"

"Hold on! It's still too early for us to head to the Palace." Morgana warned.

"But why? Don't we just gotta steal that Treasure thing?"

"But going there without a plan would be a very reckless thing to do." Ren said.

"That's right, Ren. Plus, don't underestimate the dangers of the place. We need to prepare."

"Ain't that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?"

"We can't do things recklessly like this." Ann argued.

"That's exactly what I mean when I say don't underestimate it. You'll die if you mess up in there. So again, we need to prepare before we head in." Morgana said seriously.

"But... how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

"I'm glad you asked, Lady Ann. First, we'll need to find better equipment for all of you."

"You talkin' about weapons? I know a kick-ass place!"

"In that case, you can handle that side of things. The only other thing would be stocking up on medicine. Fatigue is unavoidable in a Palace..."

"And where can we get medicine?"

"Don't worry, I know just the place. I hope you look forward to it, Lady Ann! Now then, Ren and I have some business in Yongen, so let's head off for today!" Morgana looked at the noirest.

"Uh, what business...?"

"Just come with me! I won't be able to get close enough by myself!"

*******

_**\------Yongen-Jaya's Backstreets------** _

"Hey, remember that customer you met at Leblanc yesterday? The doctor who prescribes medication after a quick examination? She was sitting at the booth..."

"Yeah, I remember."

"I just realized something. If she's the kind of doctor who gets sketchy rumors like that, maybe she'll help us out. She's somewhere in the neighborhood, right? Take me to her."

"All right then..."

With a shrug, Ren carried on walking in the narrow alleyways of Yongen-Jaya along with Morgana who was commenting on everything he was seeing.  
It was the first time for the raven-haired to explore the neighborhood so freely like that, so he was kind of excited, and yet his excitement didn't last long since he spotted the clinic not too far away from Leblanc.

Such a letdown.

"This is the clinic that the chief mentioned. Now, how can we get them to give us medicine...?" 

"I'm sure we'll make something up." 

"...Well, I guess that's the only choice we have. We'll just have to go for it. All right, let's step inside." 

  
*******

**_\------The Clinic------_ **

The bell jingled as Ren opened the clinic's door and step inside only to get immediately greeted with the powerful smell of mixed medicines and drugs.  
Hence, it even smelt worse than a hospital much to Ren's annoyance, but his eyes fell upon the doctor who was sitting behind the reception desk.

"...Is this your first visit? Hm? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..." The languid doctor looked closely at Ren.

"Yeah, at Leblanc."

"Hmmm... well, whatever... so, what are you here for today?"

"Actually, my body feels lethargic."

"........" The languid doctor looked over the boy before sighing "...Fine. Please head to the exam room."

Ren felt that something was off with the doctor's tone to him, but he walked into the examination room nonetheless with the doctor right behind him.  
Inside, she pointed at the examination chair for him sit on as she closed the door.  
With a nod, the boy sat down along with her across him, legs crossed, and clipboard close to her chest taking notes on it as stealing few glances at Ren every now and then.

"...In a case like yours, it's usually just due to stress. I'm going to prescribe you some pain relievers, OK?" The languid doctor took notes down.

"Fine by me."

"Actually, I still need to restock those... so let's go with sleeping pills instead. Sleep is the best medicine anyway. Which type of pill do you want, a sweet-tasting one or a bitter one?"

"Whichever."

"How about a stinky one, then? Just kidding. There's no such pill. All right, why don't we stop beating around the bush..."

_"Crap! She busted me...!"_

"You're not sick at all, are you? I'm not as dumb as I look, you know. I'm guessing you're here because you heard the rumors about me, huh?"

"That's right. But are the rumors true?"

"Who's to say? But as a result, all I get is patients with ulterior motives now. I guess high school kids have it tough nowadays too, huh? Well, fine. I'll prescribe you some medication."

".......!"

"But only medication that will help you recover your health. I guess it's fine. You seem pretty earnest, and you don't look like you'll be any trouble. This is my private practice. All the medicine I dispense is original. I have a license to make my own formulas. You've likely seen them being sold at various hospitals. It's your responsibility to take care of yourself. So if that's OK with you, stop by anytime."

"That'll really help, doctor. Thanks."

"Great. It's nice that you're so quick on the uptake... saves me the hassle. You're a pretty weird kid, you know? I wonder what you're going to use the medicine for..."

"Ummm..."

"Well, as long as you don't cause me any trouble, it's not my problem..."

The doctor gave Ren a few bottles of painkillers in which he thanked her in return earning a nod of acknowledgment from her.  
Making his way out of the examination room, Ren encountered a roughly-looking man who threw a disapproved look at him making Ren feel a little uncomfortable the man headed into the room.  
Ren shook his head to throw away that unsettling feeling and was about to exit the clinic until he heard them talking.

"...What's the reason for your visit? Do you have a cold? Stomachache? Athlete's foot? Whatever it is, you'll need to take a number."

"...Enough of this!"

"........?!"

His sudden yell piqued Ren's attention which made him walk close to the door placing his ear on it to get a better hearing of the conversation while holding his breath.

"You're the only one who could have developed that kind of medicine."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Don't play dumb with me. Rumor has it, It's a drug so potent it can give a person unlimited power."

"Really? That's news to me."

"Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations. Are you attempting to create a super stemilent? A drug like that will only become a social issue."

"You're really persistent, you know that? I'm just a quack..."

"The police may not be taking action, but I can imagine the media will soon pick up on it. You intend to ruin my reputation again, huh? You're a disgrace to the medical community."

"...Tsk!"

"What's with the look? That was your mistake, was it not? I won't be responsible for your criminal actions. Dispose of that **'medicine'** immediately and resign. The name **'Tae Takemi'** will never-- Hey, is somebody there?!"

When eavesdropping goes wrong.

*******

_**\------Yongen-Jaya's Backstreets------** _

The raven-haired sighed deeply in relief as he stepped outside of the clinic like he was holding his breaths all the time inside.  
He got nervous when the doctor saw through his intentions but felt a great belief once she gave him the medicine nonetheless, but his greater nervousness was when the man was about to bust him as well.  
And yet, the thought of her creating powerful drugs lingered in his mind.

"Geez, they almost caught us. Sounded like they were talking about something dangerous... could that woman be hiding some extra strong medicine...?"

"We should use that."

"I agree. If it's that strong, it can come in handy at the Palace. All right, let's come back when the man isn't there. We shouldn't involve people who have nothing to do with this. Keep the Phantom Thieves a secret, OK? Anyway, great work! That went really well!"

_**Pi** _

_**Pi** _

_**Pi** _

_Ryuji: You know there's a shop in Shibuya that sells model guns._

_Ryuji: I'd be glad to take you there if you want._

_Ren: Sounds good._

_Ryuji: Sweet._

_Ryuji: Welp, let's figure out where to meet._

_Ryuji: You at least know how to get to Shibuya Station, yeah?_

_Ann: Hey, I can't make it. Can I trust you guys to check the place out for me?_

_Ryuji: You can't come?_

_Ann: Not today. I made plans to go see Shiho in the hospital._

_Ryuji: Ah, gotcha._

_Ryuji: Don't worry, we got this._

_Ryuji: Well, seeya in Shibuya, Renren! I'll be waiting in front of the station!_

_Ren: Don't call me that._

"We might be able to get our hands on some decent stuff if this store really has model guns." Morgana pointed out.

This is going to be a _very_ long day.

 

 

*******

 

_**\------Pawn Shop------** _

 

Ren went to Shibuya station to meet up with Ryuji as agreed and followed the blondie in the narrow alleys of Shibuya until they came across a pawn shop called Untouchable.  
The door opened and Ren almost ran away from how bad the smell inside the shop was. It was full of model guns and other valuable objects.

The manager was a middle-aged man with gray hair, faint stubble, sideburns, and earrings. A tattoo of a gecko was on the left side of his neck near the back and had a lollipop in his mouth.  
He wore a gray hat with yellow ear defenders, a black turtleneck sweater, a long gray coat with a red peace symbol on it, blue jeans and dark boots.

"...You lookin' for recommendations? I dunno. Just buy whatever looks interestin' to you." The surly manager spoke.

"Ugh, some customer service..." Ryuji growled.

"Fine, whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?"

"Uh, automatic...? Dude, why're talkin' about cars now?!"

"Listen, this here's an enthusiast shop. My regulars'll be mad if I let a casual like you hang around."

"I'm not a freakin' casual! I bought shit from here like, last week!"

"Huh, can't remember you."

"You bastard..."

"And you? Lookin' for somethin'?" His eyes fell on Ren.

"A fancy model gun."

"...Oh? You a collector? Heh, you're way more interestin' than blondie over there."

"Sh-Shut it!" Ryuji grumbled under his breath.

"Anyways... you shoulda said before you two're enthusiasts. I'm always up for helpin' fresh faces. Some precautions first though. Don't go 'round pointing 'em at other people. Keep 'em in a bag or somethin' if you're outside. Oh, and don't let the fuzz catch wind of you having 'em. I don't need them comin' around here."

"We'll be careful, promise." Ren reassured.

"You damn well better be. Now, if you look close, you'll be able to tell these're models. Real guns feel... different. Maybe some day I'll show you the real good stuff though... if you got the **guts** for it, of course. But for now, you get the beginner selection. Just sit tight, I'll bring 'em out."

As the manager left to a room in the back, Ryuji looked at his bud with a mad and wide grin on his face.

"...We did it, dude. We totally gotta go for some fancy shit, right? I want 'em to shine! Oh, and here's the cash of mine. Pick out something good!"

Their eyes sparkled as the surly manager walked back in with a case filled with model guns from all shapes and types.  
They began holding them to experience the feeling of holding guns while smiling widely.  
In the end, they decided what they wanted and left with big satisfaction.

*******

_**\------At Night: Leblanc------** _

It was such a tiring day indeed between preparing items from guns and medicine for the Palace and thus, exhaustion was obvious on Ren's face.  
He longed to throw himself on his bed and sleep peacefully, he wanted that so badly.  
When he opened the shop's door, the sight of a customer sitting at the booth while talking to Sojiro unfolded before his eyes.  
He actually didn't mind it and wanted to just head upstairs to sleep, but their conversation was important to him.

"Boss, did you hear? Apparently, that subway driver from the accident was acting really odd during his testimony hearing." A haughty regular spoke.

"You talking about that psychotic whatever thing people're going on about?"

"Yeah, I heard it completely alters your personality. The news is saying the driver couldn't even speak when they tried asking him questions."

"There's no way a preposterous story like that could be true. Oh, and sorry, but we're closing soon."

"Hmph, how rude. This must be why you don't get many customers. Your coffee's actually not half bad. The beans must be lamenting the sorry state of the store..."

"Thanks for stopping in. Please come again."

"Hmph. I only say that out of politeness, but... thanks for the coffee."

The haughty regular placed money at the counter as he left the shop with a mocking scuff.  
Ren was astonished by both the regular and Sojiro's behavior to one another.  
He hesitated whether he should ask him about it, and saw his guardian taking a deep tired sigh while running his hand through his hair.

"Sheesh, what a pain... oh... what do you want? If you're bored, go wash some dishes or something."

"Um, how's business?"

"Doesn't concern you. It's all good as long the shop doesn't fail. I'm not gonna go wearing a fake smile."

"But what if it does fail?"

"Who knows? Maybe I'll end up living out on the streets. As long as I'm here, the world leaves me be. No annoyances or troublesome people to deal with. It's like my own personal hideaway. I'd be kinda screwed if I lost it, but I guess you would be too. So, you at least try and be useful around here. Anyway, I'm leaving now. Don't cause any trouble."

With a nod, Sojiro left the shop and locked the door behind him leaving Ren all alone.  
The noirest wasted no time as he climbed the stairs up to the attic and hoped on his bed wanting to close his eyes more than anything, however, he received a text message from Ann making him adjust his sitting position.

 

_Ann: So, I went to see Shiho in the hospital..._

_Ren: How was she?_

_Ann: Her condition is stable._

_Ann: They don't know when she'll regain her consciousness though._

_Ren: I'm sure she'll be OK._

_Ann: Yeah._

_Ann: She'll get better, I know it._

_Ann: I just need to believe in her._

_Ann: But... I'll never forgive Kamoshida. He's going to pay for what he did, no matter what._

 

"We're just about ready to go to the Palace. We just need to assemble some infiltration tools. I'll provide materials this time. Try making a lockpick." 

"I'll try." 

"Everyone starts off a little clumsy. Don't be sad if it doesn't go well at first, OK?" 

Yeah, right.

*******

**_\------The Next Day: Shujin Academy's Gate-------_ **

  
While walking towards school, Ren was yawning loudly while covering his mouth.  
He had stayed up the previous night under Morgana's commands to make a lockpick with his bare hands.  
He failed many times, and each time Morgana would force him to try again until he was able to make three of them.

But at the expense of sleep.

Near the gate, he saw Kamoshida greeting the students who were walking in as grinning at them.  
Only him, his friends, and the volleyball team knew his true colors, so he didn't buy that fake grin at all.

"Good morning. C'mon, hurry up and get to class!"

"Good morning." He visibly frowned upon seeing Ren.

"........."

"...That admirable behavior won't do any good once you're all expelled."

Still glaring at him, Ren made his way into the school building and yet, on the way in, he saw Emiko standing before the teacher also with an angry look on her face, even worse than the glare she gave Ann on his first day.  
Ren concluded that she arrived shortly after him, and even though he saw her from the corner of his eyes, her glares never failed to send shivers down his spine.

But, Kamoshida's reaction was unforeseen.

He licked his lips in pure lust upon seeing her.

Ren felt surprised and disgusted at the same time.  
He knew that he was forcing himself at Ann and now he saw that he was after Emiko as well.  
It was disgusting to him in every way possible.

But...

Would he really care about a girl who did nothing but hurt him without any good reason?

*******

_**\------After School: Shujin's Rooftop------** _

"I hope you all understand that our time limit is May 2nd." Morgana reminded.

"We basically just have to go to that castle and steal the Treasure of from Kamoshda, right?" Ann asked firmly.

"But wait, what even is a Treasure? I wanna know that before we do anything."

"A Treasure is the physical form of the Palace ruler's distorted desires. In other words, it's the core of the Palace. Once we steal it, the Palace will crumble... I think. Having said all that, even I don't know what Kamoshida's Treasure is going to be."

"And where can we find it?"

"There's no way of knowing that until we go in and find out. But if I had to guess, I'd say he has it locked up somewhere in the depths of the Palace."

"Eh, I think I get it now. We just gotta find the Treasure, yeah?"

"Pretty much. There's just a lot we won't know until we go in..." Morgana spoke "In any case, our objective is to find the Treasure's location somewhere in the Palace. Make sure we go about this with time to spare so we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances. I expect great things from you guys."

*******

_**\------Kamoshida's Palace------** _

After activating the Nav, the thieves found themselves in front of the Castle of Lust once more, but this time in the quest of stealing Kamoshida's Treasure.  
While walking towards the main gate, Skull abruptly paused his tracks staring at Ann with a visible blush on his cheeks.

With a smirk on his face, Joker elbowed Skull making him snap from his fantasies and return to the real world.

"But daaamn..." Skull observed Ann's curves thoroughly.

"Hm? What's up?"

"N-Nothing. I was just thinkin' we should choose a code name for you too."

"A code name?"

"I'm Skull, he's Joker, and that's Mona."

"Judging by your costume..." Mona trailed.

"I mean, she's got that tail and stuff, so... whadda you think, Joker?"

" **'Sexy Cat.'** "

"Wait! Is that what you're going to call me from now on?! I am SO not down with this!"

"What do you wanna be called, then?"

"Um, something better than just a little cat... maybe... **'Panther'**? That sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?"

"Huh? Why?"

" 'Cause it sounds more... ferocious?"

"She's a cougar...!" Mona spoke dreamily.

"Don't call me that' More importantly, Kamoshida...!"

"Oh, right. Let's go! All right, let's start fresh and get goin'!" Skull exclaimed.

"It's game time from this point forward. I'll teach you guys the basics of infuriating a Palace as we go."  
*******

The Phantom Thieves began their mission of infiltrating Kamoshida's Palace learning the pattern of the castle, safe rooms, how to sneak in the shadows, ambush enemies with sneak attacks, and the basics of combat.  
That was the whole concept repeating itself over and over during the time of infiltration in dungeons, hallways, rooftop, and every nood and cranny in it.  
This state kept going until the party snuck on the second floor of the throne room encountering a locked door.

Hearing nearby heavy footsteps, Joker pointed to his teammates to rush and hide behind a corner.  
Once they did that, they saw a Shadow patroling the area which had a shiny golden armor, and yet they noticed the keys hanging on its waist.  
Making her way out, Panther walked towards the guard with a smile on her face much to her friends' shocks.

"Hi!" She waved at him before running away.

Luring the Shadow to her friends and knocking it down, it had a dark reddish aura coming out of him transforming into a flying pixie.

"What the hell was that for? Thugs! Ruffians! Brutes!"

"Whoa, she talks!" Skull gasped.

"And she's a girl! I didn't need to use sex appeal!" Panther added shockingly.

Then, Joker pointed his gun at the pixie.

  
"Wh-What? That's not real, is it? If you think you have a chance, do your worst!"

"Give us the key."

"The key? Oh, is that what you want? Fine, I'll give it to you." The pixie said before throwing the key to the noirest "Satisfied? Then get lost. Just looking at you creeps pisses me off."

"Ugh, what a nasty mouth. Hey, let's get goin'."

"Thank you." Joker nodded at the pixie.

"Hey, what the... you're throwing me off my game." The pixie suddenly blushed from embarrassment "But maybe it's not so bad. Something's coming!"

Suddenly a bright light surrounded her.

"That's right. I remember. I don't just belong to King Kamoshida. I drift about the sea of human heart."

"Eh?" Mona questioned.

"My name is Pixie. From now on, I'll live within you!"

Pixie said before disappearing in turning into a beam of light that took the shape of a mask hitting Joker's own mask and merging as one with it.

"What was that?" Skull asked shockingly.

"I have no idea..." Mona trailed.

_"His power..."_

Not wasting any more time, the party headed back to where the locked door was and opened it with the key they had just obtained.

"Whoa, what is this place?! Holy shit! That Treasure thing's gotta be in here." Skull exclaimed before he walked along the others seeing a foggy cloud floating in the air.

"Hey, what is this? It's... floating in the air." Panther looked up.

"Hehe... that's the Treasure. We finally found it!"

"Are you sure? That cloudy thing...?"

"Just hold on a second. I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far. Simply finding the Treasure isn't enough. We'll Hence, we'll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure. Once they're conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself."

"But how do we do that?" Panther asked.

"We warn them. Tell them, **'We're going to steal your heart.'** "

"So we're gonna send a calling card? That's totally what a phantom thief would do!"

"Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain! ...I think!"

"That again...? Either way, sounds like it's worth givin' it a shot!"

"Our infiltration route is secure. All that's left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!"

"This is it, huh?" Panther questioned.

"Let's do this, everyone!" Joker cheered.

"That's the spirit! Once we send out the calling card, there will be no turning back. Just let me know when you're ready. We'll head back to the hideout and send out that calling card!"

*******

**_\------Time Skip: Shujin's Rooftop------_ **

"All right! All that's left now is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida's heart!" Morgana said firmly.

"Couldn't we have just sent one at the beginnin' of all this...?"

"It's not that simple. A Treasure won't stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. I think it'll last around a day, at most."

"That's so fast." Ann widened her eyes.

"The hell...? That's like no time at all..."

"Then we have to act quick." Ren pushed his glasses up.

"Anyways, we can send a callin' card right now, yeah? Let's do it and steal that bastard's heart!"

"The Palace will go away once you take the Treasure. Make sure you've done everything you need to."

"Then let's send that calling card." Ren spoke up. His voice didn't show any sign of holding back.

"I've been waitin' to hear you say that! Tomorrow's finally the day."

"So we send the calling card in the morning... and carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?" Ann asked.

"Correct. The effect won't last that long. Are you worried?"

"Heh. Waited too long." Ann scuffed.

"Perfect."

"We're going to pull this off, no matter what!" Ann narrowed her eyes.

"So, who's going to write the card?" Ren asked.

"Leave it to me!" Ryuji volunteered.

"Why?" Ann asked suspiciously.

"Why...? Why wouldn't it be me?!"

"This is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?" Ann asked seriously.

"I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it... c'mon, please?"

"Do it. I trust in you." Ren pulled a faint smile.

_"Yeah, trust..."_

"Gotcha! I've got a hundred things I wanna hurl at that bastard rattlin' around in my head!"

"Just make sure it's not obvious who wrote it, all right?!" Ann reminded.

"I know, I know! I got this!"

"All right, then! Tomorrow it is! You'd better not slack off on this." Morgana reminded.

*******

**_\------Next Day: Shujin Academy's Hallways------_ **

Making her way inside the school building, Ann placed a lock of her hair behind her ear and felt nervous all of a sudden.  
Today was finally the day when they were going to steal Kamoshida's heart and make him confess all of his monstrous crimes.  
Last night, she went to visit Shiho in the hospital whose condition was stable telling her everything about the Metaverse, but even the doctors weren't sure if she'll ever wake up.

But she had hope.

The sounds of loud murmurs and whispers pulled Ann out of her daydreams.  
She lifted her gaze up to see countless students gathered near the bulletin board and talking among themselves.  
She made her way through them to see many cards hanging on it. Calling cards.

Ryuji really did it.

"A calling card...?"

"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning."

" **'Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'** " Ann read the calling card before taking one of them.

"...Wow." She trailed before looking behind her to see Ren and Ryuji approaching her.

"Not bad, eh? I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference."

"Meh."

"What?!"

"I know what you wanted to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult." Ann flipped the card to the other side.

"Your logo's a little lacking too." Morgana pointed at the poorely-doodled logo.

"Ok, y'know what? Th-That ain't true! Right?" Ryuji turned at Ren seeking his help.

"........." Ren just avoided eye contact.

"Hey!"

"Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong...?"

"Does this mean the rumors are true?!"

"Wait a sec... is someone gonna take something from Mr. Kamoshida...?"

"What's this weird logo? And who're these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people...?"

"Mishima, what's going on here...?" Mayu whispered.

"I-I don't know..."

"...It got everyone excited, so it's all good, yeah?" Ryuji trailed.

"Who's responsible for this...?!" Coming at the scene, Kamoshida asked angrily.

"...Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires." Morgana said happily.

"I think it's hittin' him pretty hard!"

"Did you do this?! Or was it you?" Kamoshida yelled at the students who ran away from him.

"...Was it you three?!" Kamoshida approached the group angrily.

"What if it was, Kamoshida?" Ren glared at him directly in the eyes as the other two did that too.

"Takamaki, you..." Kamoshida trailed looking at the ash blonde-haired girl who was looking down.

"Stay away from her." Ryuji stood in the middle protectively in front of the girl.

"Sakamoto...!"

"What garbage... eh, it's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway."

At that moment, everything around the three froze in place and turned into a black empty void with Kamoshida's Shadow standing in his real counterpart's place.

"Come... steal it, if you can!"

After that sentence, everything returned to normal as the real Kamoshida walked away with a pissed look on his face.

"Judging from Kamoshida's response... I'm sure we had an effect on his Palace!" Morgana said firmly.

"Does that mean the Treasure's appeared?! We'll be able to get it today, right?" Ann asked.

"It's not just **'today.'** It's ONLY today. The impact of seeing a calling card doesn't last long, and it cannot be repeated. This'll be our chance to steal the Treasure."

"One day's more than enough for us!"

"Then, let's do it." Ren spoke.

"Um, guys? You better see this." Ann pointed her finger in a specific direction.

The two boys did exactly what Ann said only for their gaze to meet the person of Emiko Hayashi grabbing one of the calling cards in her hands and giving them an extremely dangerous and deadly look in her eyes like she knew exactly what was going on.

She didn't say anything but only glared at them in that way before making her way.  
During all that time, their hearts were beating fast and so once she left, they all sighed in relief.

"Is it just me, or that girl looks very scary...?" Morgana trailed.

On the other hand, while Emiko was walking away in the hallways, she crumbled the paper and threw it away in the garbage while clicking her tongue in annoyance.  
Suddenly, her phone vibrated receiving a surprising notification, thus she pulled it up to see what it was all about.

"Hm...?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought that Emiko's awakening will be in this chapter, right? Nuh-uh! XD
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Thu/Mar 14/2019


	10. Chapter 08

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stopping pendulum finally swings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, finally! I WAITED TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER SINCE FOREVER!!! HEEEEEYUUUUUUSSSSSHHHH!!!

 

 

 

_**\------Kamoshida's Palace------** _

 

Everything was finally falling in place.  
The required and needed items from weapons and firearms to medications were prepared, the calling card was sent, and thus the Treasure should've taken shape by now.

It was soon going to be over, that hellish nightmare of Kamoshida's endless harassment to the volleyball was about to end. Just a little bit more.  
If everything went right, he will confess all of his crimes with his own mouth.

Even though Joker hated him **_a lot_** for everything he's done to the volleyball team, he still mentally prayed and hoped that he wouldn't end up suffering from a mental shutdown and die.  
Being thrown behind bars unjustly is one thing, but being responsible for taking a person's life away was a whole different thing.

Even if he was a criminal.

While heading towards the Treasure's vault, Mona noticed the concern and hesitation drawn on the noirest's face.  
He didn't need much to know what he was thinking and concluded what must've been on his mind, and he completely understood.  
The mental conflict of the desire to save those innocent students, and yet also not take his life away; a spar of contradicted moralities.

As for now, changing Kamoshida's heart was the top priority.

The Phantom Thieves finally reached where they were heading to as Skull and Panther looked at Joker with faint smiles on their faces who opened the door in the depths of the castle that they discovered during their last expedition to the Treasure's vault and saw that it had actually materialized and took a touchable form of an enormous crown.

"Aww yeeeeaaaaahhhh! The Treasure has appeared!" Mona exclaimed as his eyes began sparkling.

"Man, it's huge!" Skull widened his eyes.

"What do you think?! It's just as I said! Now we can steal it! Ahh... the shine brings tears to my eyes..."

"...It kinda pisses me off. Why's it so pretty...? Isn't this Kamoshida's desires?" Panther scuffed.

"T-Treasure..." Mona's eyes sparkled.

"Mona...?" Joker trailed.

"Uh, the cat's actin' awfully excited."

"Hey, Mona?"

"What's wrong? Is something...?" Panther didn't finish her sentence.

"Meeeeeoooooowwwwww! Mrrrrrrrowwwww!" Mona was purring loudly as hugging the crown.

"You're waaaaay too excited." Joker sweatdropped.

"...Meow, meow! Mewwwww!"

"All right, that's enough you stupid cat!" Skull spoke as Mona jumped down after returning to his senses.

"Oh, um, yeah... forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady..."

"You were completely out of the character there, Mona. What was that about? You were very different back then." Panther spoke.

"I couldn't stop it either... to think I'd be drawn to human desires this much... doesn't that prove that I'm human?"

"Not really..." Joker sweatdropped.

"How should we know?!" Skull snapped.

"A-Anyways, you guys need to carry it!"

"All you do is bark orders... still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for sure there'd be some insane trap or something."

"But that was way too easy..." Joker held his chin.

"His Palace will disappear if we take this back, right? Kamoshida will change too..." Panther approached the crown.

"...That should be the case.."

"Good. Now's our chance then." Skull said.

Easier said than done, Mona.

Even though the three teenagers were holding the crown together, they were suffering to make their way out of the room.  
Their breaths were fast and felt like their backs were going to snap at any moment, even their arms were wobbling at how heavy the crown was.

27? 28? 29 pounds maybe? They weren't even sure.

"It's heavy...!" Panther struggled.

"To think it'd go so well... I've even found three Persona users in process... my judgment was correct. I made the right choice in making a deal with you! Nyahahaha!"

Mona's enthusiasm pretty much caused Joker to sweatdrop while assisting his teammates to carry the crown and shake his head slightly as a sign of hopelessness.  
Just when the thieves thought that they were approaching the exit and head home after accomplishing the mission easily without having to fight anyone at all, a very familiar feminine voice cheered on loudly.

"Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shi-da!"

"Nnngah!"

That grunt came from Shadow Kamoshida who spiked a mighty and fast volleyball towards the Phantom Thieves that flew towards their direction.  
It happened so fast and they couldn't even process what was going on until the ball powerfully hit the crown and got knocked down from their grips rolling on the floor.

"Uwah--!"

With a sign from the Shadow's hand, the crown shrunk and turned to a handful size before picking it up again and the cognitive Princess Ann came along as well hugging him tightly while standing next to him with a sly smirk on her face.

As soon as Princess Ann's eyes met Skull's she gave him a seductive look while licking her lips which made him shiver comically.

"I won't let anyone take this! This proves that I'm the king of this castle--it is the core of this world!"

"That rat bastard... that's how he sees me, isn't it?!"

"Yo, pervert. Were you waitin' to ambush us?"

"I just made it easier to find you. I'll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now."

"That's our line you sexually-harassin' D-Bag!"

"What a selfish misunderstanding..."

"How is it a misunderstanding? You were doing things that you kept in secret from others!" Panther protested.

"The people around me were the ones who kept it secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishment, students who have the drive to become winners... they willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it."

"Profit?!" Skull widened his eyes.

"How we're all supposed to profit from that?" Joker asked.

"There are too many imbeciles who don't understand that! Including naïve brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!"

"True, she's a total idiot... letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide... and I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that...! But no matter what kind of fool someone might be... they don't need your permission to live their lives!" Panther shouted the last sentence.

"Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There's no wrong in using my gifts for my gain!"

After that sentence, Shadow Kamoshida laughed darkly when a dark aura began surrounding him and enveloping his body in the shape of a tornado.

"Crap. I don't like where this is going..." Skull trailed worriedly.

"I'm a cut above the rest! I'm not like other humans!" Shadow Kamoshida laughed before his body started changing shape as arms popped out of it.

"That's right. Right now, you're no longer human. You're possessed by twisted desires." Mona spoke as Kamoshida continued transforming.

"You're a demon." Joker blunted.

Then, Shadow Kamoshida went berserk turning to a large pink demon with multiple arms and legs as well as a thick purple tongue, who wore his Treasure as a crown.  
He carried golden eating utensils in his lower arms, while his upper pair carried a riding crop, and a wine glass he drinks in which Princess Ann stood inside it.

"That's right. I'm not like you... I'm a demon who rules the world!"

"Wh-What the hell...?!" Skull shouted.

"Hahaha! Gyahaha! I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!"

"You're wrong. Let's finish this, Kamoshida!" Joker pointed his finger.

Shadow Kamoshida began the battle by spiking a humongous golden volleyball creating a massive wave of wind, thus throwing everyone flying backward.

"He's way stronger like this!" Skull said as he sat on his ass.

"Do it again, Sensei!" Princess Ann cheered standing inside the wine glass.

"I know! But first I need to increase my vitality!" Shadow Kamoshida said before licking the glass.

"Oh, you!" Princess Ann sang as an orange aura came out of the Shadow.

"This is bad." Mona told Joker who nodded before both of them throwing smoke bombs at the same time.

"Where are you? Where'd you go?"

"Remember, we're only after the Treasure. Look! We can steal it from over there!" Hiding behind a corner, Mona pointed at the balcony up.

"But that's impossible. We'll just..." Panther trailed before Shadow Kamoshida spiked another volleyball.

"Looks like a job for me." Skull spoke.

"Yeah. Time to show off you're monkey-like agility!" Mona agreed.

"Don't call me a monkey!"

"Be careful." Joker smiled reassuringly.

"I'm not expecting much..." Panther started.

"Hey!"

"...but I'm counting on you." She continued her sentence while smiling.

Skull had a shocked look on his face hearing those words coming out from her mouth.  
He felt a genuine trust coming from Panther's words despite everything that happened between them, despite their _**history**_ together, and that feeling alone made Skull smile back at her.

"Leave it to me!"

Shadow Kamoshida had spiked another mighty explosive volleyball creating a heavy wave of smoke.  
When it settled down, the sight of the two teenagers along with Mona stood across the foe.

"Finally showing yourselves, huh? Where's Sakamoto?"

"Beats me. Probably got scared and turned tail." Mona said.

"I'll kill that cat later." Skull mumbled to himself from behind his hiding spot on the balcony.

"The three of us are more than enough to take down a creep like you! Carmen!"

"And Zorro!"

"Arsene!"

All the three spells combined of fire, wind and curse ran towards the enemy hitting it with a one single blow making him waddle in his standing position for few seconds.

"Bastards! How dare you?!" He shouted before a pair of legs from inside a glass he was holding flew to inside his mouth recovering what he lost from his health.

"How refreshing!" Shadow Kamoshida laughed as swaying his large tongue.

"What?!" Panther gasped before the tongue knocked her down.

"Looks like we have to break that thing first." Mona said before firing his slingshot at the golden glass.

"Hey! You don't know how much this is worth! It's a national championship trophy!"

"Hey, you shoot at it, too!" Mona called the noirest who pulled the model gun he bought.

"Where did you get that? Stop don't shoot!"

"Too late."

Joker smirked challengingly in a smug way before pulling the trigger, and to his surprise, the gun actually fired a real bullet that nearly broke the glass.

It only created cracks on it.

"What?" Joker widened his eyes.

"Told you. This is the cognitive world. Despite it being only a model, if he thinks it's a real weapon it'll become the real thing."

"What did you do, you bastard?!" Shadow Kamoshida yelled at the noirest who was still looking shockingly at the gun before licking the other glass again.

"Experience the killshot feared by the whole world! Gold Metal Attack!"

Shadow Kamoshida jumped spiking yet another powerful volleyball.  
This time it was much stronger and more powerful than any other one sending all the group flying bag and creating a strong explosion along with a heavy cloud of smoke.

"Guys!" Skull cried out.

When the smoke was gone, all of Mona and Panther laid unconscious on the floor while the injured Joker was struggling to stand up.

"Let's do it again!"

"Go-go, Kamoshida!"

"It's over, you delinquents!"

Shadow Kamoshida was preparing himself to shoot again by powering another massive and strong volleyball.  
Joker's vision was becoming blurry, his body felt heavy, and his breath quickened.  
It seemed like no matter how hard he tried to struggle, his body decided to betray him anyway.

Then, he lost consciousness as everything around him turned pitch black and his limp body hitting the floor creating a loud and audible thump.

*******

**_\------The Velvet Room------_ **

The sound of chains clanked inside his ears as his vision began clearing up.

 

Ren slowly opened his eyes seeing himself inside the room he went into a few times already.  
He thought that he died, but seeing himself in that room meant that he only lost consciousness during battle. 

"You're pathetic, Inmate!" 

"You're in the presence of our master. Restrain yourself." 

"Are you satisfied with this? Just as before, without residence, without action?" Igor chuckled mysteriously.

"I'm not done yet. I can still fight!" Ren tightened his grip around the cell's bars.

"Very well. Then I shall provide you some aid."

With a snap of his finger, Ren wobbled in his stand like he was losing his balance as a blue light shone from his chest taking the form of both Arsene and Pixie.

"Personas are the personalities that exist within you." Caroline explained.

"By discarding old personalities, your Persona will be reborn anew." Justine added while preparing the guillotine.

"Though I may disappear this moment, I shall always be at your side. When thy fate reaches its end... we shall meet again, Ren Amamiya."

"........!"

Those were Arsene's last words to his wielder before the blade went down cutting him off.  
It happened so fast almost in a blink of an eye making Ren feel a thousand knives piercing through his heart as both of Arsene and Pixie disappeared and merged as one to give the form of a new reborn Persona.

"A new Persona has been born. This is the first step to rehabilitation. You may continue to strive."

*******

The battle wasn't over yet since Panther and Mona finally regained their consciousness much to Skull's relief.  
They faced some difficulties when trying to stand up carrying their melee weapons again, but managed to gain their posture nonetheless.

"Gold Medal Attack!" Shadow Kamoshida spiked the ball at the

"PERSONA!"

Out of nowhere, Joker shouted on top of his lungs with his eyes turning golden in color.  
A massive storm blew over repelling Kamoshida's last attack, and when it cooled down a new-born Persona revealed itself roaming in front of Joker.

Agathion.

"What?" Shadow Kamoshida gasped.

"A new Persona?! A human can use multiple Personas? What... is he?" Mona trailed shockingly as Joker's eye color returned to normal.

"Gyahahaha...! You really think you can defeat me you little punks?!"

"We know that we can defeat you." Panther prepared her whip.

"What if I tell you that I have something you all want?"

"What does he mean by that...?" A cold sweat rolled down on Mona's face.

"Guards!"

"Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me! I said let go of me this instant!"

It was a feminine voice which rang like that and caught the attention of the Phantom Thieves.  
Once the guards arrived in the room, they widened their eyes fully to see them dragging a person they know inside who was struggling and trying to break loose by kicking the air with their legs only to be thrown down on the floor on their face.

"Hayashi?!"

"Hayashi-San?!"

"Mikki?!"

"Who?!" Mona was completely at loss.

"What the hell...? First I find myself in a weird castle, dragged by those, and then--UWAAAAH!"

Emiko yelled in surprise after she stood up as her eyes fell upon Shadow Kamoshida making her jump backward.  
It was extremely huge with multiple arms and swinging its large violet tongue at her while laughing darkly.

"A m-monster?! Wh-What is this?!"

"Nice to see you again, Hayashi."

"Wait... Kamoshida?!"

"That's not the real Kamoshida you know, It's his Shadow or his other self."

"A-A talking caaaat?! Am I going crazy here?!"

"I am NOT a cat!"

"Hayashi, what are you doing here?"

"That voice... Takamaki?! And you must be... Amamiya?!"

"Hayashi-San, you--"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"

"Ahahaha, yes! This is exactly how I wanted to see you, Hayashi. That look of fear in your eyes."

"Kamoshida...!"

"Pop quiz: Did you know that this girl shot her own father when she was only thirteen?"

"Huh?!"

"Wh-What...?" Skull widened his eyes.

"D-Does that mean that the rumors were true...?" Panther trailed shockingly.

"I know that because Shinohara told me everything about it. She even witnessed it herself. And it's already out there on the internet."

"........!"

That was it.

Joker couldn't believe what his ears were hearing and thought his ears were playing tricks on him.  
The mysterious rumors shrouding Emiko were her killing her own father? Was that also why she stopped talking with Ryuji? Was that why she acted the way she did with him? Because she was, in fact, a murderer?

Joker knew well that one shouldn't judge a book from its cover, but he never thought that the girl who _**once**_ was Skull's childhood friend murdered her own father, and even Kamoshida confirmed that there was a witness.  
Sure he could be bluffing about Mayu Shinohara, but she's her neighbor and lives right next door to her, so she could've seen what happened that day.

He didn't know what to believe at that moment.

Emiko on the other hand, clutched her nails tightly through her hair as her eyes widened fully and her breathing rate quickened crazily to the point of panting rapidly and heavily.  
She couldn't take it as her knees began shaking uncontrollably and fell on them.  
She couldn't breathe, move, or do anything. She only remained kneeling in her position as if all of her senses were paralyzed.

She felt asphyxia, slowly choking despite her panting at a crazy pace as if her lungs were filling up with water.  
Her limbs were also starting to grow lumb regardless of how much they were shaking, and her eyes were going to turn bloodshot from how wide they were open.

Until...

"Do you remember it, Hayashi? The moment you pulled the trigger? The sound of the bullet? Blood spreading everywhere?"

"Stop..."

"Do you remember the sound of your dad's scream once the bullet pierced through his chest?"

"N-Ngh... no...!"

"Do you remember the blank expression on his face once his dead body hit the ground? The bullet hole on his head?"

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

That was the scream of pure agony as Emiko lifted her face up in the air letting out her loud and captivated screams that pierced through the ears of everyone that was present in that room and cutting deeply through them.  
Her fingernails dug even deeply through her hair as she lifted her head up and down, up and down, over and over again still screaming on and on.

Taking the opportunity of Emiko's mental breakdown, Shadow Kamoshida spiked another massive golden volleyball which was stronger than all the previous ones that flew in an inhuman speed towards her.  
The sounds of the thieves calling her name faded in her ears as her death was approaching her.

Acting fast, Joker ran towards the girl grabbing her from her wrist and pulling her body close into his as he jumped away to avoid the collision, but it creating a blasting impact throwing them both away in the air.  
Joker rolled several times on the ground with Emiko still in his arms and firm grip, but he was perfectly fine.

"Joker!" Panther and Mona ran towards him.

The noirest had some difficulties while getting up, but he reassured his teammates that he was fine.  
His face was covered with light scratches and wasn't anything serious, but noticed that Emiko hasn't woken up yet and wasn't moving at all, thus he tried shaking her lightly.

"Hayashi-San? Are you all right?"

No response...

"Gyahahahaha!"

"Kamoshida...!" Joker gritted his teeth angrily.

"Prepare for your death!"

With that sentence, reinforcements of guards kicked the doors open and rushed into the room trapping Joker, Panther, and Mona into a circle.  
Their eyes darted left and right as they stuck their backs to one another, but it seemed like those guards were endless.  
A cold sweat rolled down Joker's face while pulling his knife up realizing the situation they were at.

They were outnumbered. Greatly.

*******

 

 

 

Darkness...

 

 

Emptiness...

 

 

Nothingness...

 

 

Those were the scenes that unfolded before Emiko's eyes.  
She couldn't see anything and wasn't able to move a limb of her body.

Could it be that she died?

Soft groans escaped her lips as her dark brown eyes slowly fluttered open making her wake up from her somehow slumber while holding her aching head.  
Her eyes darted around her while standing up to see nothing.

There was literally nothing around her. She just stood inside a dark and empty black void with nothing in it at all.

"Where... am I?"

_**"O my child, will thee really let this end like that?"** _

".......!"

That voice came from a shiny blue butterfly roaming around the girl leaving a trail of sparkles at it soared around her.

"Let it end like that?"

 **_"_ ** **_Thee stand on the edge of death yet thee just stare at it. Thee had no control over thy actions."_ **

"Of course I had control over. I _chose_ to pull that trigger while I could've taken another action."

 **_"_ ** **_Thee did not chose that action, thee were forced to take it. The loving father thee used to know was long gone. Thee tried saving him, but thee couldn't. It was not thy fault he turned the way he was."_ **

"Shut up! I killed my dad! I don't deserve to live...!"

**_"No one deserves to die, mine lovely child."_ **

**_"Maybe thy father did not deserve to die, and so thy mother as well. Or would thee prefer that she died because of him?"_ **

"Of course not..."

**_"Thee saved her, not in the best way, but it was better than losing both of thy parents."_ **

_**"** _ **_Now tell me, a_ ** _**rt thee willing to witness the demise of another soul?"** _

"I--"

_**"What has been gone cannot be retrieved, but thee can save what is left."** _

"........"

_**"Thee had no choice back then. Had thee not acted, thee would have lost thy mother as well."** _

At that moment, a pool of crimson red blood formed beneath the girl's feet and extended to fill the endless realm of darkness and blackness she was in.  
On the surface of the pool appeared the image of a man with dark hair and a huge laugh on his face while carrying a young girl on his shoulders happily.

 _**"Thy father couldn't be saved and thee know that, but thee can save them.** _ **_Those youths who art risking themselves for you."_ **

**_"Thou have the choice now unlike that day. Thee can act, you can scream out loud, thee can silence the injustice!"_ **

"I can..."

_**"Shalt thee accept mine own power?"** _

"Yes... give it to me!"

**_"Excellent, then let us forge our pact."_ **

With that sentence, a strong beam of light surrounded the blue butterfly took the form of a white silhouette offering its hand to Emiko.  
Scarlet red anemone flowers grew out of the bloody pool opening their petals evolving to beautiful roses; **a** **symbol of death and birth.**  
She pushed all of her hesitations away as she took the hand of the glowing silhouette accepting the new power given to her.

An unbreakable contract.

 

*******

  
"Eat this!"

Panther screamed out while grabbing a guard from his neck using her whip and throwing him down.  
Joker and Mona were also having a hard time fighting off the guards that even their Personas weren't enough.  
Every time they'd defeat a number of them, more and more came in endlessly.  
Shadow Kamoshida laughed victoriously and Skull wanted to jump down and help his friends but couldn't, he had to stick to the plan no matter what.

It was a hopeless battle.

 

"Ah..." Emiko held her head as she stood up on her feet.

"Hayashi?!" Panther called.

"We must get her out of here!" Mona shouted while firing his slingshot.

"Huh, you're already awake? Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Just sit down and enjoy the death of those thieves. They're going to die because of you, you know."

"Hahaha..."

"What's so funny?"

"Your stupidity, of course. Who said that I'll ever let you accomplish what you want, Kamoshida?"

"You talk big, but what can you do, Hayashi? Guards, kill her!"

Responding to the king, a group of the guards left the Phantom Thieves and ran at their top speed towards Emiko with their swords drawn out, and yet the girl kept a cool smirk on her face while not moving at all.

"Hayashi-San!"

"Come."

That word came out darkly from her lips causing a massive and destructive wave of wind to blow over the room sending all the guards that were approaching her flying away.  
When the wind cooled down, a powerful and unbearable headache attacked Emiko causing her to scream loudly and her eyes turning to gold in color.

**_"I am thou, thou art I..."_ **

**_"Thou who had chosen to protect those who art dear to thee."_ **

**_"Never hold back anymore!"_ **

"I call you... Valkyrie!"

Blue flames roamed around her face taking the shape of a white masquerade mask much to everyone's surprise.  
Her fingers reached for it grabbing it before tearing it off by force.  
She let out a loud painful scream as blood covered her entire face which was lowered down.  
Blood dripped from her face and down to the floor as the room grew in silence.

"Haha... haha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She laughed out loud crazily in sick thrill before her body was drowned with blue flames taking the shape of a tornado sending everything flying away.  
The Phantom Thieves and the monster struggled to remain standing from the powerful wind as the guards were already sent flying in all direction.

After everything cooled down, they opened their eyes again to see what was unfolded before them.  
Emiko stood in the center of the room wearing a desert-colored military jacket, bulletproof armor of the same color, and combat boots, as well as a white muffler around her neck.  
Unlike her real appearance, her hair was pale blue that was casually short, with a tuft of hair tied up on both sides of her forehead, and her eyes became indigo-colored.

Behind her was her newly-born Persona which took the form of a blonde female with an eye that was red and the other was aqua wearing royal silver armor and had enormous angelic white wings which were flapping soundly carrying a long spear with a circular head.

 

"A persona...?" Joker widened his eyes.

"No way! She has the potential too?!" Mona shook his head shockingly.

"You just messed with the wrong girl, Kamoshida. And she's **_very_** angry!"

"Guards, what are you doing?! Kill her!"

"Show them what you're made of, Valkyrie!"

Hearing her owner's call, Valkyrie swung her spear in the air creating a snowy cold wind blew across the room that froze the guards in their places as ice covered their bodies entirely.

"Look out!" Panther called.

Few of the guards somehow escaped from the freezing wind and ran towards Emiko ready to jump and apprehend her down.  
However, with swift moves, she was able to easily dodge the first one and send a mighty kick to the head of the second one and punch the face of the third before jumping back on her feet.  
It seemed like she was experienced in hand-to-hand combat given her flexibility and force. 

"Whoa...!" Skull widened his eyes in awe from his hiding spot.

"Amamiya, your gun!"

"Eh?"

"Give me your gun, fast!"

With a nod of acknowledgment, Joker tossed his gun and threw it up in the air to the girl who successfully caught it with one hand.

**_Find another one to bother, because I would become your worst nightmare._ **

A sly smirk printed on her face before dashing across the room going on an all-out spree in firing the bullets on the unfrozen guards.  
It was a shower of non-stop fire and each bullet hit the target perfectly on the head.

Her eyes widened open slightly noticing that a guard was jumping to attack Joker from behind, and thus she pointed the gun and quickly fired a bullet that flew towards the Shadow.

 

It was so close to Joker's face that it touched the left side of his head making few of his hairs fall down as it killed the Shadow behind him which was the last one of them.

Cold sweats rolled on his face when he realized that few more centimeters to the right, the bullet would've hit his face and possibly killed him if she wanted to.

"Heh, you're not bad for a rookie." Mona smirked while folding his arms.

"Do you want a bullet in your face?"

"Th-That won't be necessary... anyway, see that trophy Kamoshida's holding? He uses it to heal himself whenever we damage him, so our attacks weren't that useful on him. Ren only managed to crack it, but we need to break it."

"No need to say anything else." She positioned the gun.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Shadow Kamoshida yelled.

"One shot..."

Her fingers pulled the trigger and the gun shot the bullet which flew towards the golden trophy held by Kamoshida.  
Once it collided with it, it broke easily as the fragments scattered in all directions amongst the shocked expression of the Shadow.

"...double kill."

"N-Nooooooo...!"

"Kamoshida, you told me that you'll take my innocence away if I open my mouth, right? The person who will take my innocence will be from my choice and with my own free will, got that?"

"That girl..." Mona narrowed his eyes.

"Skull!" Joker called.

"Take this! Now!" The blondie jumped down knocking the crown off the Shadow's head.

"Go-go, Kamoshida?"

Princess Ann was cheering when the glass fell down to the floor. and she turned into a pile of blue mold.  
The crown had also shrunk and turned to normal size.

"The symbol of my kingship!"

"Checkmate!"

Joker smirked before they all jumped performing an All-Out Attack finishing the battle on the scene making Shadow Kamoshida revert back to his previous form. Weak and vulnerable.  
The crown rolled down and turn into a small one again as the Shadow took it and ran off toward the balcony's door.

"Ah!" Skull yelped before all the group ran to him.

"Nngh..." Shadow Kamoshida ran left and right aimlessly.

"What's wrong? Not running away? Why don't you run...? Aren't you a great athlete?" Panther asked.

"It's always been like this... all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me...! I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that?!"

"Now you're makin' excuses...? "

"Reward? You're making me sick, you bastard." Emiko scuffed.

"We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours." Joker added.

"Hrrgh..."

"Scared? Right now, you're seeing the same view that Shiho did. I'm sure they were scared too... Shiho also had no choice but to jump... what will you do? Will you jump? ...Or would you rather die here?" Panther asked while approaching the Shadow slowly summoning Carmen, as Kamoshida's Shadow was terrified like a child hugging his crown.

"N-Ngh..."

"Do you want to finish him off? It's your call." Mona said while folding his arms.

"No, please wait! I beg you... just forgive meeee!"

"Now you're begging for your life? How pathetic." Emiko nearly spat on him.

"Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same. But you... took everything from them!" Panther yelled as Carmen shoot fire on Kamoshida's Shadow who yelped as the fire missed him.

"I accept defeat.... you want this? Take it!" The Shadow said while throwing the crown to Joker who caught it successfully.

"Go ahead and finish me off... you do that... and my real self will go down too... you have that right since you've won..."

Panther was pissed off at Shadow Kamoshida's tears clenching her fist and commanded Carmen to shoot fire, and again she missed.

"Ann...!" Skull called.

"Don't do it." Joker spoke.

"If his mind shut down, he can't admit his crimes." Panther said angrily.

"You're kind, Lady Ann..."

"I've lost. You're through when you lose... what am I-- what am I supposed to do now...?"

"Atone for your sins, Kamoshida. And confess it all." Joker replied to him.

"All right... I'll leave now and return to my real self..." the Shadow slowly started disappearing as he smiled between his tears "I'll be certain that I--"

Before the Shadow could continue, he disappeared turning to beams of light which flew in the air.  
Emiko let out a deep, distressed sigh as everything was finally over while the three teenagers and the cat approached her with big smiles on their faces.  
However, their happiness didn't complete as the entire place started shaking announcing that it will collapse at any moment.

"Hey, just so you know, we don't have time to waste. This place is about to collapse!" Mona said.

As all the four teenagers stood the middle of the room in horror watching the place starting to collapse while yelping, but Mona was chilling on the carpet licking his paw like his life was not on the stake either.

"Run!" Skull cried out.

Hearing his call, they all started running down the hallway as the entire place was crumbling and falling apart.  
They even hardly managed to dodge the falling debris from the roof by jumping aside.  
The rush of adrenaline mixed with the survival instinct kicked in their bodies giving him the force and speed they needed.

"We're gonna die! We're so gonna die!" Panther yelped as she ran.

"Just shut up and run!" Emiko screamed.

"Hey, what the--?!" Panther yelped as Mona jumped from her head and onto Skull.

"Ack! No fair, you jerk!"

"Mroooow!"

Attacking him on the worst time, Skull's knee began hurting and throbbing him, stumbling as he was running.  
After all, Kamoshida broke his leg, so he couldn't run as he used to do before.

"Gah!" Skull screamed as he fell on his face.

"Ryuji!"

"Heh... It's been a while, so I just tripped, is all!" Skull raised his hand.

He hurriedly stood up and continued to run away before falling debris from the roof could fall on him.  
The three teenagers continued to run crazily towards the bright white light that was on the end on the seemed long corridor.

But due to her awakening, Emiko felt the effects of the aftermath as her body grew weak and her vision blurred.  
Her legs could no longer carry her weight and felt herself lose control over her body until she fell down on the floor panting heavily.

"Mikki!"

"Hayashi-San!"

"This must be the aftermath of her awakening, it takes most of the stamina, after all." Mona explained.

"Hurry and get up!" Skull offered his hand.

"I... don't need your help..." She slammed his hand away while panting.

"Now's not the time! You wanna die or somethin'?!"

Deciding not to waste any more time, Joker grabbed the girl from her wrist against her will and wrapped it around his neck as Skull did the same to her other hand.  
Emiko wanted to argue with them but did not even have the strength to do so, so she accepted their help quietly.

All the team continued hurrying between the rocky crumbles and debris and reached the exit at the end of the corridor to return to the real world towards the bright white light to freedom out of that godforsaken place.

*******

_**\------The Real World------** _

"That sucked..." Ann panted heavily.

"I can't... breathe..." Emiko hardly managed to say.

"Mikki, are you OK?! You still alive?!"

"...What does it look like?"

"Holy shit, you totally kicked ass back then! That was so epic!"

"I... don't even understand what happened back then."

"Look at the nav!" Ryuji exclaimed while pulling his phone out.

_**"The destination has been deleted."** _

"...It's true we can't go there anymore." Ann blunted.

"What about the Treasure?!" Morgana was about to freak out.

"Oh right!" Ren reached his pocket and pulled out a gold medal.

"...A medal? Wait, where'd that crown go?" Ann asked.

"What's goin' on?"

"It means, that was the source of Kamoshida's desires. To him, this medal is worth as much as that crown we saw in the Palace."

"An Olympic medal, huh...? Never thought that old man participated in the Olympics before..."

"Then this medal means..." Ren started.

"So, that perv kept clingin' to his past glory and couldn't let it go..."

"But... this means Kamoshida's heart might have changed, right?" Ann asked.

"...Probably."

"Our expulsion's on the line here!" Ryuji snapped.

"This is the first successful example for me too. However, there's no doubt that this has effected Kamoshida's personality quite a lot. The entire palace disappeared, after all."

"Ugh, I feel all antsy! Ain't there a way to check now?"

"We'll know soon enough. No need to rush things." Ren adjusted his glasses.

"Come on, why the gloomy faces? Be happy! We completed this with great success, you know." Morgana said to change the mood.

"We just don't know if everything's OK yet..." Ryuji trailed.

"I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. Remember how Kamoshida's Shadow said that he's returning to his self in reality? Suguru Kamoshida was a scum. Still... he did seem to regain his conscience somewhat at the end."

"I'm pretty sure it worked though. I just feel it." Ren said.

"There are definitely those who have been saved thanks to what you've done."

"Yeah..." Ann pulled a faint smile.

"Anyways, I guess we gotta wait. It all boils down to what's gonna happen to Kamoshida... or if we're gettin' expelled for real..."

"Calm down. Waiting is our best option for now, so we have to be patient." Ren patted the blondie's shoulder.

"Thanks, man. You're right..."

"Excuse me, but will anyone explain what's going on here? What was that place? That power? And what's deal with all that **'Treasure'** thing?" Emiko had their attention.

"We understand that you have a lot of questions and we're willing to answer them, but now's not the good time. You need to rest from your awakening." Morgana explained.

"N-No way, it talked even here?!"

"Yeah, that's Morgana." Ann smiled.

"And we can't shut him up." Ryuji added.

"Why you little--"

"We'll explain everything to you later, Hayashi-San. I promise."

"I... really need to rest now. I can't seem to process anything now." She talked to herself while walking away.

"She didn't even thank us for savin' her ass back then..." Ryuji's statement caused Ren to sweatdrop along with him.

*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc------** _

Opening the café's door, Ren was having a relived and satisfied smile on his face.  
He never felt at ease like that for a long time.  
They successfully stole Kamoshida's heart, got to know his new friends better, and felt the amazing power of teamwork in the battle they had against Kamoshida Shadow.  
All those feelings were moving something inside Ren, but he couldn't determine what it was.

"You sure look satisfied... something good happened?"

"Something like that."

"Hey, you gut a minute? Somethin' I wanna ask you. C'mere, let's have a chat."

"Um, sure..."

"You'll talk with me? You're being unusually well-behaved."

"Sure, let's talk."

_"This may be a good opportunity to deepen my bond with Sojiro..."_

"Good. There's a lot of things I want to ask you. I'll clean up, so just wait there."

It didn't take long for Sojiro to clean the counter in front of him pointing at the chairs across him for Ren to sit on them.

"Hey, how's school? You're not causing any trouble, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Good. I've gotta report to your probation officer twice a month. It's already a pain in the ass as is, so please don't make me have to write even more crap. Got that? This society is kept in check by laws and authority figures. You can go and get yourself killed if you want, but don't go dragging other people into your mess. The last thing we need is more idiots like you roaming around."

_"God, he's even worse than my dad..."_

At that moment, Sojiro's phone rang and thus he picked up the call.

"Hm? What's wrong? Yeah. I'm heading out now. Sorry about that. I know. The usual, right? OK, I'll see you later."

"........."

"As you can see, I'm pretty damn busy both at work and in my private life. If you could lend a hand, it'd really be a great help..."

"I'd be glad to."

"Now we're talking. Either way, I won't ask you to work for free. If you agree to help me, then... I'll teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Not a bad trade, eh?"

"Yeah, sounds interesting."

"All right. Looks like we've got ourselves a deal."

_"The distance between me and Sojiro seems to be closing slightly..."_

 

_**"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of the Hierophant Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."** _

  
"I'll be counting on your help. See ya later."

With a smirk on his face, Sojiro left the shop locking the door behind him.  
Ren was smiling serenely to himself as he felt a bond slowly forming with his guardian knowing that staying with him perhaps won't be that bad as he originally imagined.

"Making coffee, huh...? That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Ren chuckled to himself.

"I heard that the ladies like the man who can make a good cup of coffee. I wish I could prepare good coffee and impress Lady Ann..."

"Oh, Morgana." Ren rolled his eyes playfully.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lord... I FINALLY wrote this chapter which I wanted to write for so long! FUCK YESSSSSS!
> 
> I honestly wanted to make Emiko's awakening derive from canon and make it unique from the rest of the Phantom Thieves for a change.
> 
> Was it better than Makoto's awakening in your opinion?
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Tue/Mar 19/2019


	11. Chapter 09

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth they all desired to hear, is finally granted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys. And sorry if the updates became less and less, it's all due to my senior year and the approaching finals. Soooo, mom cut my online time even more than usual... hopefully you'd understand.  
> Onto the chapter now!

  ** _\------??????------_**

Nothing could ever be seen around. It was only pitch black with nothing but blackness.  
Silence enveloped the area around except for the faint sound of water dripping in the distance and the clunking sound of metal.  
It was so quiet, and what a peaceful quietness it was. So perfect, so tempting to remain like that, and so desirable--a world of nothingness where nobody can be a source of bother in any form.

But...

 

 

 

 

"Wake up, Inmate!"

"........!" 

A loud gasp escaped from her mouth as her dark brown eyes fluttered open.  
Heavy pants came out from her lips due to the aftermath of waking up like that as she adjusted her seat and holding her ached head and shook it ever so slightly.

Emiko darted her eyes around her to see herself locked in a small room and sitting on a wooden plank as a bed and noticed that she wore a striped black and white suit and no longer had her glasses on her face.  
Both of her arms and legs were cuffed in chains making her limbs feel numb.  
She tried breaking free from them much to her shock, but no avail.

"Wh-What is this...? A prison cell?"

There, at the door of the cell, stood two young girls with platinum blonde hair and yellow eyes.  
The first one had a long braid, while the other had two hair buns.  
They both wore black eye patches, blue prison guard outfit, brassards on their left arm, and matching black ties.

"So you finally woke up, Inmate?"

"Inmate...?"

"You're in the presence of our master. Heed his words."

"Master?"

"Titania, welcome to the Velvet Room."

That voice came from a bizarre old man with a long nose pointed ears and bulging, bloodshot eyes who wore a black suit with white gloves sitting at a table in the center of the room.  
His eyes were fixed on Emiko which caused her to feel little uncomfortable and alerted.

"Welcome, Titania. I am quite pleased to finally make your acquaintance."

"Titania? What is this? What's going on here? What is this place? And more importantly, who are you?"

"Ah, pardon me for not making any introductions yet. I am fully aware of your confusion, so I shall explain everything to you. I am Igor, the master of this place. And those are Caroline and Justine; they serve as wardens."

"This is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter, and only those who signed a contract may enter this room." Caroline explained.

"You have signed your contract with us when you awakened your powers; the Persona."

"My Persona...?"

"It is the strength of your heart and the will to rebel against society. The world is not how it should be. It's filled with distortion, and **'ruin'** can no longer be avoided." Igor added.

"Those who oppose fate and desire change from time to time, they were called Tricksters." Caroline began.

"You are a Trickster yourself, Titania..." Justine finished her sister's sentence.

"Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion in this world!" The twins spoke together.

"Me? Heh, what kind of a sick joke is that? I am no Trickster or whatever you just called me, and I don't even understand how and why I awakened that power." Emiko chuckled angrily.

"You sure do talk big, Inmate, but someone really needs to shut that mouth of yours. How about you just shut up and listen to what we have to say to you?"

"You--"

"Caroline, please. My deepest apologies regarding her behavior. Caroline tends to be aggressive to new guests here."

" ** _Tends_** to?"

 

The _sarcasm._

"Watch it, Inmate. You don't want to mess with me."

"Try me."

"Titania, it is not appropriate to act in such a manner. Our master is offering you great power."

"What do you mean?"

"You hold the power of the Wild Card; the ability to wield more than one Persona. That power holds infinite possibilities. We will assist you in nurturing that potential."

"Huh...? But why me?"

"It is your destiny, Titania. You cannot run away from it; it chose you to oppose ruin and fight alongside the Trickster."

"There's another Trickster beside me? Who are they?"

"That's an answer you have to discover yourself." Caroline scuffed.

"Ah, allow me to add that you cannot fully wield the power of the Wild Card just yet. You must be rehabilitated first, rehabilitated to your future. Your situation is little... unique from the Trickster."

"Different?"

"It seems as though there is a picaresque journey waiting ahead of you. I am aroused to see how you will conquer the difficulties along the way."

"Your time's up, return to your world at once!"

"Wai--"

Along with Caroline's scream, the sound of a bell rang which made Emiko's body unexpectedly heavy.  
Her eyelids were no longer able to keep themselves open as her numb body fell on the floor after dizziness got the upper hand of herself seeing the image of Igor and the twin wardens fading before her eyes and turning to pitch black diving to the depths of darkness.

 

_"We shall meet again in the near future... Titania."_

*******

_**\-------Next Day Shujin Academy: Lunch Time------** _

  
Ren would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, tensed, or on edge.  
Yesterday, they successfully managed to steal Kamoshida's Treasure and his Shadow's final words seemed to be truly sincere, and yet the consequences were still unknown.  
Will he undergo a mental shutdown and die? Ren had no idea, and he certainly hoped that wouldn't be the case.

But something still lingered on his mind... Emiko Hayashi.  
The power she showed after her awakening was extraordinary and wasn't like anything he had seen so far.  
The way she handled the gun wasn't normal for their age, and her amazing hand-to-hand combat skills weren't normal either.  
There was a secret behind that for sure.

But much to Ren's surprise, Emiko was absent that day since her seat behind him was empty, and so he concluded that she must've been still tired due to the aftermath of her awakening.  
Between Ren's thoughts and worries, the bell rang announcing the beginning of lunchtime at last.  
Ren quickly packed his stuff and headed towards the door to buy something from the school canteen, only to see Ryuji standing outside in the corridor with a worried expression on his face.

"Hey."

"What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Kamoshida?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"You really think he changed?"

"I hope so."

"Well, yeah..."

"Oh, perfect timing!" Ms. Kawakami approached the two "Study hall will be held instead of PE today. I'm letting you know just in case you haven't heard. Mr. Kamoshida has taken the day off."

"He ain't here...?"

"Why? Something's wrong?" Ren asked.

"Don't tell anyone that you heard this from me... but we received word that Mr. Kamoshida is placing himself under suspension. It's such an important time before the tournament too... principal Kobayakawa went to talk to him about it, but he supposedly wasn't making any sense..."

"Wait, a suspension?!" Ryuji shouted the last word.

"Not so loud! The talks about your expulsions may be put on hold too... I don't know too much about it though.... anyway, I've relayed what's going on to you."

After that sentence, the brown-haired teacher left the two teenagers in surprise, shock, and disbelief.  
They weren't expecting that Kamoshida would be absent today and during the time they needed to know the most what will happen with him.  
With that, their concerns increased even more, but their explusions might be put on hold, so that will be a good thing at least.

"Looks like something happened..." Ryuji trailed.

"At least it sounds different from a mental shutdown."

"I guess all we can do is wait..."

Yes, wait... for the worst, or best? No one of them knew.

*******

_**\------The Next Day: Shujin's Gymnasium------** _

Surprisingly in the next day, the principal called the students to the gymnasium for an urgent morning assembly much to the annoyance of many students.  
The gym was crowded to its fullest bombarded with endless murmurs and chatters from the students.  
And there, between the crowd, stood Ann looking around her in worry and anticipation. She had rather mixed feelings about the reason regarding this assembly, and thus tension started building up inside her.

While Ann's eyes were darting here and there, they laid upon Emiko who was also standing among the crowd with a blank expression on her face.  
She also noticed that students were stealing uncomfortable and disapproved glances at her before whispering among themselves again.

"What's with the sudden morning assembly...?"

"I bet it's about the girl that jumped the other day."

"They don't have to tell us not to commit suicide."

"There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?"

".........." Ann stayed quiet.

"But man, I'm so scared being in the same room with Hayashi-San."

"I know, right? She killed her own father so who knows what she might do?"

"I heard that she carries a gun with her everywhere. Maybe she's waiting for the right opportunity to shoot on us."

".........." The brown-haired tried her best to ignore such meaningless chatter.

"Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly." Principal Kobayakawa spoke in the microphone "As you all know, a tragic event took place the other day. Thankfully, we have been informed that she has pulled through, but it will take time until she recovers. Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore that you rethink the importance of life and--"

Suddenly the door was bust open fully which caused Principal Kobayakawa to pause his typical clichéd speech.  
The students also jumped in surprise upon seeing the scene of Kamoshida slowly making his way inside the gym with an unreadable look on his face.

"...Ah!" Ann flinched.

"Mr. Kamoshida, what's the--"

"I... have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all..." He walked to the stage.

"...Huh?" Ann widened her eyes in shock.

"I have repeatedly done things that were.... unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students... physically abusing my team, and... sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!" Finally, he collapsed on his knees started crying and wheezing by the time students were shocked upon what they just heard "I thought of this school as my castle... there were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn't like them... I will, of course, rescind those... I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts... I am an arrogant, shallow... and shameful person. No, I'm worse than that! I will take responsibility and kill myself for it...!"

The students were even more shocked and started murmuring among each even more and more than before.  
Shockness rose on Emiko's face as a cold sweat rolled on her face.  
She had her own suspicions regarding Kamoshida and the volleyball team but was never able to prove any of them to be true, and hearing him confessing them by his own mouth was just... unexpected.

The scene of the Palace and his Shadow appeared again in her mind as she thought more about it.  
The school as a castle, the beaten up players... it was all finally starting to fall in place to her.

"Mr. Kamoshida! Please get off the stage for now!"

"Everyone return to your classes!" A teacher in suit announced.

"I--" Kamoshida was about to speak.

"Don't run, you bastard! Shiho's still alive even after all the things you made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!"

"Ann..." Ryuji mumbled sadly who was also standing between the crowd.

"You're right... you're absolutely right... I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes... I did horrible things to Takamaki-San, as well. In return for giving Suzui-San a position on the team... I tried to force her into having relations."

"Asshole--" Ryuji clenched his fists.

"I'm... also the one who started the rumors regarding Hayashi-San and spread them on the internet. I had... forced Shinohara-San to tell me about it since... she witnessed what happened that night..."

"........!"

Emiko's eyes widened fully upon hearing the last confession while covering her mouth with her hand.  
She believed that it was Ann who started them under his pressure but knowing that it was her neighbor Mayu was something she never expected.  
Emiko felt as if she was running short of breath and her mind grew blurry while murmurs regarding her increased even more after light was shone on this new fact.

"As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. Someone, please call the police!"

"YOU SON OF A...!" Ryuji barked angrily wanting to attack Kamoshida when Ren was holding him to stop.

"Calm down."

"Wow..." Even Morgana couldn't hide his shock.

"This morning's assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!" The teacher in suit ordered.

"Isn't this just like what that calling card said...?"

"Does this mean the Phantom Thieves thing was for real?!"

"Was something done to Kamoshida?"

"C'mon, there's no way you could steal someone's heart!"

"But why else would he start saying things like he'll kill himself or turn himself in?"

"Maybe because it almost got him leaked? Don't they go easier on you if you turn yourself in?"

"I wonder what happened..."

"Who knows? But man, Kamoshida turned out to be one sick bastard."

"Return to your classrooms at once!" The teacher in suit shouted again.

The assembly was over after that note especially since two teachers escorted Kamoshida out of the gym.  
Students were shocked and disbelieved now that Kamoshida's true colors were fully exposed--the teacher who they once adored so much turned out to be a sick bastard, molester, and abuser.  
They were returning to classrooms, but their chatters never ended along the way.  
After all, they have just found the new hot topic of the school.

Hence, even the Phantom Thieves were shocked at this surprising turn of events.  
They never would've imagined it would turn out the way it did, but they were happy and glad nonetheless since Kamoshida was safe and sound from any mental shutdown, so that was a huge relief to them.

"His heart did change..." Ann trailed.

"Seems like it. But, was that really for the best? Yeah... it's gotta be for the best... but things're happenin' way too fast... especially now after knowing the truth behind Mikki's rumors..."

With that sentence, Mishima walked towards the group along with two female students, one of them was notably tall, and the other was dark-haired.  
The three of them had rather sad and remorseful expressions on their faces.

"Huh...? What the...?" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Takamaki-San... I'm sorry!" Mishima bowed.

"Huh...?"

"We all knew... but we pretended we didn't."

"Takamaki-San, I had you all wrong... I'm sorry that I spread rumors about you!" A tall girl apologized.

"I didn't know at all... Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you... it must've been so hard for you!" A black-haired student said.

"I'm sure there's a ton of people who want to apologize to you. We're so sorry...!"

"No, It's OK. The same goes for me too... besides, that's all in the past now."

"Hey, you there! Return to your classes at once!" The teacher in suit warned them.

"W-Well, see you later then..." The tall student said and left along with the black-haired and the teacher.

"I can't apologize enough for what I did to you. I swear that I'll make it up to you someday." Mishima bowed to Ren before leaving himself.

"Looks like Kamoshida wasn't the only one who had a change of heart." Ren spoke.

"Man, I'm glad for you, Ann. Looks like those weird rumors are gonna go away."

"My thing doesn't matter. We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho... that's more than enough to me. And at least we now know the truth about Hayashi's rumors."

"You should hurry and tell her about it then."

"...Yeah." Ann nodded slowly.

Emiko wasn't standing so far away from the group and listened to the whole conversation.  
She knew about the rumors regarding Ann and thought that she spread the word about her killing her father to shift away from the spotlight from her, but now after knowing the truth... she didn't even know what to think anymore.

"Hayashi?" Mayu approached Emiko slowly looking visibly shaken up.

"Ah, Shinohara?"

"I-I'm sorry...! I didn't want any of this to happen, b-but... Mr. Kamoshida threatened to r-rape me if I didn't tell him what I saw that night... I'm really sorry!"

Mayu couldn't speak anymore as heavy tears began rolling down her rosy cheeks and loud sobs came out along as well.  
Emiko was visibly taken back by Mayu's apology as confusion and hesitation aroused on her face.  
Her shaky hand tried reaching for Mayu while taking it back a few times but finally decided to embrace her neighbor and pull her close into a calming and soothing hug.

"I-It's fine, Shinohara... I'm not mad at you at all. I... kinda understand your situation, so please stop crying."

On the other hand, Ryuji and Ann were long gone out of the gym heading out and left Ren with Morgana behind them to witness what it seemed like to be Emiko's first sincere and genuine emotion she had shown to anyone.  
Ren thought of her as an emotionless and heartless human being, but seeing her in such a state made him second-guess everything he had ever thought about her.

She may have looked cruel and cold on the outside but on the inside, she was fragile and had a kind heart of her own.  
Her words managed to calm Mayu down who thanked Emiko with a big tearful smile on her face before walking away.

Taking a deep breath, Ren made her way towards the brown-haired girl who was still trying to collect herself after everything that has happened.  
He stopped his track exactly on her left and both of them were facing the opposite direction.

"Meet us at the rooftop after school."

After that whisper, Ren quickly walked away from her without even giving her the chance to reply or say anything in return.  
He left the gym as Emiko stood in her place with a skeptical look on her face and couldn't help but to wonder about the reason for Ren summoning her so secretly like that.

"Amamiya, you..."

*******

_**\------After School: Shujin's Rooftop------** _

"I totally freaked out... he really did have a change of heart. And we were lucky his mind didn't get messed up either! This was an A+ job!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Does this mean that they won't have a mental shutdown even if their Palaces disappears...? I see... so we need to persuade the Shadow without killing it, and then send it back to its real self. Our targets won't undergo a cognitive collapse if we do that." Morgana explained.

"So, we can get 'em to confess with no bad stuff? Hey! That works to me!"

"Do you have to be so loud?" Ann came along.

"Don't worry about it. So... how'd it go? With Suzui, I mean..."

"She's regained consciousness...!"

"For real?!"

"Those are fantastic news!" Ren grinned.

"It was only for a little bit, but I got to talk to her!" Ann collapsed on her knees "I was able to tell her that Kamoshida admitted to what he did! Shiho, she... she told me she was sorry... looks like she found out that I was flirting with Kamoshida for her sake..." She stood up again "And here I was, wanting to apologize to her."

"Kamoshida's at fault for all this." Morgana said firmly.

"I know... Shiho's mom is thinking of transferring her to another school after she recovers. The whole sexual harassment and attempted suicide... people will label her after that. Sounded like Shiho had the same idea too."

"It's gonna get lonely..."

"But, I think it's for the best... I'm sure it'll be hard if she stays here."

"She's alive. You can see her anytime." Ren remarked to Ann as she nodded.

"That aside, I was surprised you could hold yourself back against Kamoshida's Shadow." Ryuji told Ann.

"It wasn't like that... I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize himself."

"You're so kind, Lady Ann."

"No matter how much of shit bag he was, finishing him off woulda left a bad aftertaste, huh?"

"Huh? That's not it. I think revenge is better served if I make him repent. Realizing what he's done, he'll grovel for forgiveness for the rest of his life, you know? I just believe there are fates worse than death."

"But you know, there was one more thing I was wanderin' about that castle. Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?"

"It isn't necessarily limited to him. It's something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their desires." Morgana replied.

"Anyone..." Ann repeated.

"Wanna check it out?" Morgana asked.

"N-Not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin' about Kamoshida. Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace."

"Yeah, about that... weird rumors about you guys are already going around." Ann spoke.

"Rumors...?" Ren questioned.

"Stuff like, you got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to visual violence..."

"The hell?!"

"People aren't going to easily believe that phantom thieves really exist. The calling card's being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing."

"Makes sense..." Ren trailed.

"We're the ones who did it, and I still don't completely believe it myself." Ryuji spoke.

"Let's wait for things to settle down for the time being." Ann suggested.

"Anyways, let's check how much this medal can be sold for. It'd be better if we pawned it off ASAP." Ryuji pulled his phone out "Got a hit!"

"What does it say?" Ren asked.

"...Wait, thirty thousand yen?! That's all a gold medal's worth?!" Ryuji gasped.

"Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money." Ann sang.

"There's no way I borrowed thirty thousand yen from you!"

"Wouldn't it be around that much with compounded interest?"

"Interest my ass!"

"I'm not saying that I'm taking all of it. I mean, it's your fault for not paying me back all these years! It's just common sense!"

"Dammit..."

"I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission." Morgana pointed out.

"I suppose we can blow this dirty money on something fun." Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?" Morgana suggested.

"Hey, wait--" Ann cut her sentence "...Nah, I guess it's fine. There's somewhere I want to go then."

"Where's that?" Ryuji asked.

"It's a place Shiho and I have been wanting to go for a while."

"I owe money, so I can't complain... you good with that, Ren?"

"Fine by me."

"It's decided then!"

"I'll leave it to your discretion as well, Lady Ann."

"I'll call and check the prices later then."

"When should we go? Wanna do it soon, like tomorrow?"

"Why don't we go on the lady day of the holidays? It'll help energize us when school life starts up again the day after."

"Then... the 5th, on Children's Day."

"So, who's going to sell this?" Ann pointed at the medal.

"Leave that to us. We know a store that'll buy anything. Don't we, Ren?"

"OK, I'll leave that to you guys."

"Leave what to who?"

That sudden feminine voice caused all the group to look in horror at the roof's door which was already open with Emiko making her way in.

"Dude, how the hell we didn't hear her come in...?"

"It's because we were so busy talking, Ryuji."

"Wh-What is she doin' here...?!" Ryuji raised his voice.

"I asked her to come." Ren blunted.

"Why?"

"I think Hayashi-San deserves to know what's happening here."

"Good call, Amamiya. Now, can anyone explain what the hell is going on?"

"Emiko, was it? We know that you have a lot of questions, and we're willing to answer all of them." Morgana spoke.

"Your name was Morgana, right? I still can't believe that I'm talking with a cat..."

"I am NOT a cat!"

"Uh, you clearly are one."

"I said I'm NOT--"

"Sooo, what do you want to know, Hayashi?" Ann sang.

"First off, what was that world?"

"The Metaverse. And the castle you saw was Kamoshida Palace; a manifestation of **'distortion'** , strong negative and corrupt thoughts that warp the perceptions of people into a hazard for themselves and others. It's like how Kamoshida viewed the school, and that views take touchable form in that world." Morgana explained.

"And that monster?"

"That was Kamoshida's Shadow; the true self that is suppressed--a side of one's personality they don't want to see hidden deep in the depths of their souls. Shadows are malevolent manifestations of one's inner thoughts and are born from humans, and carry with them human emotions, which are mostly negative."

"The Persona, what is it?"

"It's your will of rebellion, your alter ego that masks your heart. It's a manifestation of your inner thoughts, but tamed and trained, unlike Shadows."

"I remember you all mentioned something about a **'Treasure'** after we escaped the castle, right?"

"Yes, it's the core of the person's distortion. It appears as a formless cloud of rainbow energy, as the Palace's host is not focused on how they could lose it. However, if the host feels **'threatened'** of having a secret exposed, their treasure takes on a physical form, usually something related to the source of their ego. Which is why we sent the calling card, to make the Treasure turn to a touchable form. And by stealing the Treasure..."

"...The source of the host's distorted desire vanishes which causes the collapse of the Palace, and them... confessing their crimes."

"Precisely."

"Holy shit, she understood it all?!" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Oh please, any idiot would've caught that, except for you."

"HEY--"

"I like her already. I don't understand why you hate her so much, Ren." Morgana giggled.

"Huh?! No, wait. I don't--"

"Let him think whatever he wants of me because I honestly don't care."

"........." Ren couldn't say a word.

"We answered all of your questions, Emiko, and now it's your turn to answer ours. That'd be just fair, right?" Morgana asked.

"I guess."

"The question that I want to ask you the most is: How did you learn how to use a gun so skillfully? And your combat skills, where did you learn how to fight like that?"

"...Can you ask me anything else but that?"

"I can see that you're uncomfortable with talking about that, so I guess that's a sensitive subject to you. All right, the next question is..."

"How did you enter the Metaverse?" Ren interfered.

"Yeah, she wasn't around when we activated the nav. I made sure no one was within the radius." Ann added.

"Remember the day you posted the calling card? Then, I got a notification on my phone and when I check out, I saw this weird app that looks like an eyeball."

"The Metaverse Navigator."

"Right, it was a navigator app, Amamiya. When I opened it, it asked me to enter a name, location, and distortion. There was also a history log that said **'Kamoshida,' 'Shujin Academy,'** and **'Castle.'** And when I entered those words, I found myself in front of that castle and guards spotted me dragging me inside."

"The app just appeared on your phone out of nowhere?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Weird... it appeared on my phone after I awakened my Persona. Same goes with Ryuji too."

"Well, that sure does explain how you ended up there." Morgana remarked.

"Is this everything you wanted to know?"

"For the time being, yes."

"Wait, how about we invite Hayashi to our celebration party?" Ann suggested.

"What?!" Ren and Ryuji shouted at the same time.

"Party?"

"Yeah, Amamiya-Kun's going to sell the medal we got and celebrate our victory. You should come too."

"B-But, Ann. This was supposed to be OUR party."

"Hayashi has helped us a lot in defeating Kamoshida whether you like it or not, so she deserves to celebrate with us."

"I agree with Lady Ann. Our situation was hopeless had she not helped us. She was a key factor in our victory."

"So, what do you think, Hayashi?"

"It's not like I have anything better to do, so I guess I'll go..."

"Excellent! We'll go on Children's Day. I'll tell you more once we agree on the details."

"Suit yourself."

"Welp, let's go home now. See ya guys later."

Ryuji waved before walking out from the roof along with Ann who were chatting on the way out.  
Before leaving, Emiko stopped her tracks and gave Ren a quick blank stare before leaving the area on her own.  
The dark-haired adjusted the position of his bag after Morgana jumped into it to make his way home.

*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc------** _

Feeling satisfied with today's outcome, Ren returned home in such a good mood.  
It was a glorious and joyful day indeed seeing how their efforts paid and Kamoshida has been taken to custody after confessing all of his sins and nor undergoing a mental shutdown.  
Ren was more than glad knowing that nightmare was finally over and they volleyball team will finally be free from his tyranny, and the bonus was that Shiho Suzui awoke from her coma at last which lifted a heavy burden from his shoulder.  
And the better thing was that a party was waiting for them...!

Then again, Emiko Hayashi will be in it...  
Thanks a lot, Ann and Morgana.

As soon as Ren walked inside the shop, Sojiro asked him to wash the dishes for him before closing up.  
Unable to refuse, Ren found himself forced to help him out of gratitude for having him in; he owned it to him, after all, and even agreed himself to help.  
He walked to the kitchen in the back and started washing the pile of dirty plates with Morgana standing close watching his movements and while working, his phone buzzed from IMs from his new friends which caused him to dry his hands so he can respond quickly.

_Ann: Is that gold medal real? When did it get inside his Palace...?_

"No, that one is a fake. It's just a by-product of his cognition. The real medal should still be in his possession." Morgana explained.

_Ren: I think this one's a fake._

_Ryuji: What...? You're tellin' me Kamoshida's still got the medal?_

_Ann: Who cares? What matters is that we changed his heart._

_Ann: And anyway, if we had taken the real thing, that'd be stealing!_

_Ann: I don't think he'll be proud of that medal anymore regardless._

_Ren: You have a point..._

_Ryuji: You let go of stuff pretty easy, huh? Wanna forget about my debt?_

_Ann: That's different. Five hundred yen is a lot of money for a middle schooler, you know._

_Ann: Do you even still have that dolphin anyway?_

_Ren: Dolphin...? What are you talking about?_

_Ryuji: Stop diggin' that up!_

_Ann: Back in middle school, we went on a field trip to the aquarium._

_Ann: But Ryuji had to spend all his money on a souvenir, so I lent him some for the train fare._

_Ryuji: I said I was sorry... that was for my mom._

_Ann: Well, I guess I can call it even after all we've been through._

_Ryuji: ...Thank you._

_Ren: You're so kind, Takamaki-San._

_Ryuji: Anyways, we don't gotta worry about selling that medal off if it's a fake!_

_Ryuji: End of story!_

"Kamoshida will never be proud of that once-in-a-lifetime gold medal ever again. Depending on how you look at it, that punishment might be even worse than death for him." Morgana pointed out.

"You're right. But I'm still a little worried.."

"Heh, sorry I kinda pressured you into doing this." Sojiro chuckled.

"And now to our next topic... fall from Grace: The story of a dishonored Olympic medalist. Just recently, a high school coach admitted to his school that he had been perpetually abusing students. Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess these heinous crimes to his entire school? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will bring light to this question." The newsman said.

"Wait, that's...!" Ren widened his eyes as mumbling quietly.

"Hmm? Isn't this...?" Sojiro looked at the TV with a shocked look on his face.

"My friends would come back from practice with bruises all the time... it was scary, but I'm relieved that the abuse is finally going to end now." 

"He would touch me and stuff all the time... I'm glad that I don't have to deal with that sexual harassment anymore..." 

"There were always rumors, sure. Not many people believed them though. Like... I'm totally shocked they were actually true. At least now I can go to school without worrying." 

"I knew it. This is your school, isn't it?" 

"Seems like it." 

"...Things might be getting turbulent at school, but you need to just keep your head down, all right? ...More importantly, keep those hands moving. I've got some more stuff I need you to do." 

"Y-Yes, understood!" Ren replied nervously while continuing his work.

After he finished washing all the dishes, he exchanged good nights with Sojiro who locked the shop behind him and left home.  
Ren rushed up to the attic along with Morgana wanting nothing but to sleep deeply and peacefully at that one particular moment.  
He threw his body on his bed desiring nothing but to shut his eyelids and drift himself to the realm of dreamland.

"I'm beat..." 

"The chief really worked us hard..." 

And just when he wanted to sleep so badly, those two just _had_ to message him again.

_Ryuji: Did you see?! It was on the news!_

_Ryuji: No way the school's gonna be able to play dumb after that._

_Ren: I hope so._

_Ann: I saw it too._

_Ann: Shiho's name didn't come up, right?_

_Ren: No, they didn't. I guess the school wanted to keep this a private issue._

_Ryuji: Not that I saw. I'd bet they wanted to keep that part quiet._

_Ann: I'm so glad..._

_Ryuji: It's finally over then..._

_Ryuji: All we gotta do now is eat some tasty shit and put all this crap behind us._

_Ryuji: I'm totally looking forward to this celebration party._

_Ann: I'll try not to let you guys down!_

"All right, we need to sell the gold medal tomorrow. Even if the chief wants your help, make sure to turn him down, OK?" 

"Believe me, I'd be more than glad to." 

Shortly after that, Ren changed to his pajamas, turned off the lights, and laid on his bed with great satisfaction about today's outcome and what's going to happen soon.  
It didn't take much until his eyelids were fully shut as he drifted into the realm of dreams, peace, and quietness.  
His chest moved upward and downward in sync with his calm breathing, and yet he was also smiling calmly in his sleep.

Soon enough after both of Morgana and Ren were asleep, trails of sparkling light appeared in the air as a shiny blue butterfly showed up roaming around Ren's face, and its calm and soothing voice pleaded desperately.

  
_**"Trickster, please if you can hear my voice, I'm begging you."**_

_**"Emiko Hayashi, she needs help. Her heart has sunk in the depths of the abyss of darkness."** _

_**"When she awakened her powers, she also awakened something very dark and dangerous inside her that's waiting to come out."** _

_**"You're the only one who can save her from herself."** _

_**"Please, save her...!"**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooohooo, I finally finished this chapter!
> 
> Oh, Mikki's actually a softie on the inside? Interesting~ *Imitates Jay's voice*
> 
> Hopefully, you guys enjoyed reading this chapter, and please wait for the next one soon!
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Mar 31/2019


	12. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebrating the triumph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't have anything to say besides to sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter~

_**\------Time Skip: The Next Day------** _

Today was finally the day for Ren to pawn the medal he and his friends got from Kamoshida's Palace.  
30,000 yen and no less than that, so they can use the money to celebrate their successful mission.  
After waking up, Ren made his way down the stairs quickly with Morgana inside his bag only to see Sojiro first thing in the morning throwing him a stern look on his face.

Oh, no...

"Make sure to do the dishes."

"When I get back. I really can't right now..."

"Just do it. Don't get cocky with me."

With that, the door bell jingled causing Ren and Sojiro to pause their little quarrel to see a woman walking in who had long gray hair parted on her right side and brown eyes. She wore a black business suit with a black turtleneck. Her blazer had cuffs and the lower part had clamshell-like designs. She also wore a necklace of a section sign (§), earnings, and a few dark hair clips above her right ear. She had violet fingernails and wore black high heels.

  
"Welcome." Sojiro greeted the woman.

"Am I interrupting something?" The woman in a business suit asked.

"Not at all."

"Huh... so this is your regular hangout, Sae-San? This place is more than I imagined it to be. The atmosphere is wonderful. No wonder why you recommended it so strongly to me."

Following the woman, a young boy entered the café who had shaggy, chin-length brown hair with bangs and reddish-brown eyes. He wore a tan peacoat with black buttons, striped black and white tie, black pants and black gloves. His eyes darted left and right in both curiosity and excitement.

"I wouldn't call her a regular. So what brings you here?" Sojiro frowned.

"No special reason. I like your coffee." The woman referred to as **'Sae'** replied.

"Huh? Have we met before?" The young detective looked at Ren.

"No, I don't think so."

"I'm Goro Akechi."

"Ren Amamiya."

"I like this place. It's got a good vibe."

 _"Akechi..."_ Morgana thought to himself hiding in Ren's bag.

"When you think about it, a detective is an ambiguous, uncertain thing. Don't you agree? Taken alone, there's no guarantee a detective will be valuable to society. A couple of things are needed to be a detective. A tough case which only he can solve, and the existence of a worthy rival to make such a case." Akechi told Ren who seemed quite in deep with the topic.

"Sorry. Am I boring you?"

"Not at all."

"The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other day still has not been found. Police are hurrying to solve the matter as it may relate to the rise in psychotic breakdown incidents." The newsman spoke on TV.

"Oh, is that the thing everyone's been talking about?" Sojiro asked.

"Doesn't it make curious? People who were living normal lives suddenly went mad or deranged out of the blue... not to mention that it's happening one after another... could they really be coincidental?" Sae narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm... leaving that aside.... what'll you have?"

"...I'll have the house blend please."

"And you, detective?"

"I'll have whatever you recommend." Akechi sat along with Sae at the counter.

"Are you a part-timer? I'm surprised that this place can afford one." Sae looked at Ren.

"Um, yeah..."

"Uh, that's exactly the case..." Sojiro blunted nervously.

"Are you a high school student? Where do you attend?"

"I go to Shujin Academy."

"Oh...? Someone I know goes there as well."

And with that sentence, Akechi averted his eyes away from the others so they won't see his facial expression.  
His shaggy brown bangs shadowed his face to the level of his nose as if he seemed to **_know who was that person Sae was referring to._**

"I've heard that things are rough right now. A teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes like he was a completely different person, supposedly. And it happened 'all of a sudden' one day... can a person's mental state change so easily?"

"...Huh." Sojiro trailed.

"No one can know for sure." Ren added.

"Maybe..."

"No, I don't think that's the case, Sae-San. A person's mentality cannot just change so simply like that. I feel like there's a reason behind what happened with that teacher."

"........." Ren narrowed his eyes at that statement.

"Is my drink ready yet?" Sae asked Sojiro.

"....Coming right up." Sojiro smiled slyly before heading to the kitchen and Ren leaving the café.

"All right, today's the day we turn in that medal for cash. You know some place that'll buy it off you, right?" Morgana asked on the way out.

Ren didn't answer as he stole a glance at Akechi who was having a friendly conversation with Sae.  
Indeed it was obvious that Akechi had a quick and sharp mind due to his work as a detective, and he already suspected that something not normal happened to Kamoshida.

Ren knew that moment that he had to be very careful around him.

Goro Akechi...

*******

_**\------Untouchable------** _

"Huh? You again? What do you want?"

"I want you to buy this for me ."

"Huh? A golden medal? Why do you have this? We don't buy any fake or stolen goods here, kid."

"It's not stolen at all."

"...Hold on a sec. Lemme see it."

The surly manager took the medal from the boy and had a really close look at the medal examining it closely and thoroughly until his eyes widened in realization.

"I'm just... not gonna ask where you got this. How's 30,000 yen sound for it though?"

"Works for me perfectly."

"Hmph. 30,000 it is then." The surly manager handed Ren the money, then he looked at the clock "It's almost time..."

"I don't understand. Time for what?"

"Here, take this with you. It's a thanks for sellin' me that medal." The surly manager handed Ren a paper bag.

Ren tried to steal a quick sneak peek inside it only to be stopped by the surly manager saying "But, uh... best not to open it. Just bring it with you next time you come back here."

"What's inside...? I'm so curious to know."

"It's all fine, trust me..." Then the surly manager's turned to a pissed one "...They're here."

With that said, two men entered the shop dressed in black.  
Black suits, ties, shades, and so on.  
They seemed dead serious as they were folding their arms standing in front of the manager, so Ren knew that there was no room for joking.

"Munehisa Iwai, yes? There are some manners we'd like to discuss with you today." A stern man said.

"...Go, kid." Iwai whispered quietly.

"Understood." Ren went to leave the shop but decided to stop near the door first to listen to the conversation.

"Do you know why we're here?"

"I dunno, lookin' for evidence? You tell me, Detective-San."

"Watch your attitude!" A vulgar detective slapped the counter hardly as Ren flinched.

"Well, you guys gonna search me? Go on, do what you gotta do."

"...What was that?"

"An upstandin' citizen's supposed to cooperate with the cops, right?"

"Hey, you sure that lead was legitimate?" The stern man asked.

"I could've sworn it was..." The vulgar detective trailed.

"Can you two hurry it up? I got a business to run here."

"You bastard..." The vulgar detective groaned then looked at Ren "...Hey, you! What's in the bag, huh? Show me!"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you! Are you deaf or something?"

"...The kid's just a regular ol' customer. You can check the tapes if that'll convince you. They'll show everything that's gone done here today."

 _"I don't want to be here when the detectives see the footage of me with that gold medal... I should leave..."_ Ren thought.

"I won't let you get away that easy! Show us what's in the bag!"

"Well... uhh... I really should actually be going by now, Mr. Detective."

"........" Iwai sighed deeply.

"Hmph. All this is starting to feel a little too fishy..."

"Hey, you're talking to a kid, remember? Besides, he's not the one we're here to see." The stern man reminded.

"Urgh..."

"That's right, Detective-San. Maybe next time try not harassin' my customers, see how that goes."

"Grrr..."

"Safe trip home, kid."

"R-Right!" Ren flinched then left the shop hurriedly before the detective could change his mind.

With heart beating at a crazy pace, Ren was almost running out from the shop.  
Seeing him in the footage wouldn't be a good thing for his probation and might cause him a lot of troubles, so he was grateful the detectives changed their minds. First was Goro Akechi, and now those?  
When he was out, he took a deep breath and sighed a big sigh leaning his back on a nearby wall.

"Phew... that was a close call..."

"What were those detectives doing there...?" Morgana trailed worriedly.

"I have no clue."

"But more importantly, aren't you curious about what's in the bag?"

"I am... maybe a little..."

"Well?"

With a curious and hesitated look on his face, Ren finally decided to give up and open the paper bag.  
He really wanted to know what was inside especially that Iwai sounded nervous when he gave it to him, but he unexpectedly he found a gun inside much to his surprise and shock.

"What the...?! Is this a real gun?"

"Wait... I think it's just a model."

"It looks so real."

"It's incredible though! Miles ahead of the one Ryuji had. There's something weird about that place... hey Ren, I just had a great idea... we should totally buy this gun from him later! I mean, It's perfect. Something this real-looking would work wonders in the Metaverse... anyway, he told you to bring it back the next time you came, right? You should try striking a deal with him when you go to return it!"

"I see... all right, we'll do it next time we're here."

******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------** _

Today wasn't that great for Ren since it was filled with detectives here and there, but at least he was able to sell the medal and get the entire sum in cash.  
With the money issue aside, the party was waiting on the horizon which was tomorrow!  
The thought thrilled Ren and made him happy very much, but he was noticeably tired as he sighed deeply while placing his bag down on the table.

"What a day..."

_**Pi** _

_**Pi** _

_**Pi** _

"Ann?" Ren looked at the caller's ID.

"Hello...?"

"Oh... hello. It's me. I saw the news. You know, about Kamoshida. It's getting a lot of coverage..."

"Serves him right."

"I'm still not sure about that... the reaction's been bigger than what I was expecting... I guess I'm just... surprised. I don't think we did anything wrong though. I wonder if we helped those people speak up about it..."

"I'm sure we did."

"That's pretty amazing, huh? I didn't think we'd actually be able to do it! And yet look at us now! This calls for a celebration! Let's meet in front of Shibuya Station at noon tomorrow. Don't be late!"

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Oh, and did you pawn off that medal? You didn't forget, right?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

"Huh? Why...? Oh, I get it! It's cause you sold it for a lot more than we were expecting, isn't it?!" Ann exclaimed happily.

"That's..." Ren sweatdropped.

"You should be really excited about the place I chose by the way. I'm sure everyone gonna love it! Well, see you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye." Ren hung up before sitting on the bed.

"Ah, a restaurant of Lady Ann's choosing. Finally, a decent meal! Hey, what do you think we're gonna be eating?"

"Maybe sushi?"

"O-Ooooooh! Tuna, sea urchin, and maybe even... salmon roe! In any case, I'm surely looking forward to it! Mwehehehe!"

*******

_**\------Next Day: Wilton Hotel------** _

It was finally the day of the party after such a wait!  
The three teenagers were sitting in fancy seats having all kind of food, deserts, and drinks placed on the table in front of them.  
Emiko was with them too who maintained a blank expression on her face on the total opposite of the others as if she never wanted to be here in the first place.

Besides, there was no good reason behind her emotionlessness.  
She sat in a very fancy hotel, surrounded by luxurious food in an open buffet that normal people dream to eat.  
Her bored eyes blankly darted left and right watching people passing by there and there while speaking among themselves, but Ryuji brought her attention by slightly elbowing her.

"Are you ready? Three, two, one..." Ryuji counted down.

"Cheers!" The three teenagers exclaimed as they hit their glasses together.

"...Cheers." Emiko lifted her glass in boredom.

"So good...!" Ryuji exclaimed while his mouth stuffed with food.

"Bliss!" Ann exclaimed while stuffing a mouthful bite of cake in her mouth.

The brown-haired stared skeptically at the piece of chocolate mousse cake that was on her fork as if examining it to see whether it was a poison that was going to kill her or not.  
With a shrug, she placed it in her mouth before widening her eyes almost instantly.

_"Oh..."_

_"My..."_

_"God!"_

_"The taste of the chocolate...! It's so dark and rich! The perfect combination of bitterness and sweetness! Aaaah, it's melting in my mouth...!"_

"What do you think, Hayashi-San?" Ren asked while feeding Morgana.

"Eh, it's all right."

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place...!"

"Of course it's good. This is a famous hotel, after all even among part-timers."

"Part-timers?" Ren questioned.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I do modeling work for magazines. Only once in a while, though."

"That's our Lady Ann! No wonder this restaurant has a celebrity atmosphere."

"Knock it off. I'm not a celebrity. I just wanted to try coming here once."

"7,500 a piece, for a total of 30,000. Well, if they overlook the fact we've got a cat..." Ryuji was talking to himself.

"I'm NOT a cat!"

"I guess blowing it all at once will keep us out of trouble." Ryuji said after pushing the cat's face away from him.

"To think Kamoshida's Treasure would be..." Ren trailed.

"To Kamoshida, that gold medal was worth as much as a crown. That could be why." Morgana explained.

"You mean his past glory?" Ryuji asked "So he was desperately clinging to it. Well, there wasn't any sense in us keeping it. Since it was basically the embodiment of his desires, right?"

"Yeah." Ann agreed while looking down "It would've been weird to keep it."

"Getting rid of it like this was the only choice." Ryuji added.

"Yeah. Thanks to that, we're able to celebrate like this." Morgana agreed.

"........." Ren was quiet.

"Hey, what's wrong, Ren? Do you feel guilty?" Morgana asked the boy.

"Well, maybe a little."

"That medal was a fake. It was created from Kamoshida's desires. Well, we changed his heart and set him on the right path, so we deserve a little bonus!"

"That makes sense."

"Oh yeah, I heard that police are coming to interview some people at school."

"I heard that too." Ren said "That's really troublesome."

"Totally." Morgana agreed.

"Our names are gonna come up for sure. Anyways, people're spendin' all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida... but we got 'em pumped up! I kept hearin' stuff like, **'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!'** I think most people don't believe it, but some of them actually seem grateful. Look at this." Ryuji said as pulling his phone out.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website...?" Ann read.

"What kind of names is this?" Emiko placed another bite in her mouth.

" **'Well done, Phantom Thieves'**... **'Now I can keep going too'**... **'Thank you for giving us hope'**..." Ann read the message.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ryuji grinned.

"I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels... strange."

"Yeah..." Ryuji trailed happily.

 _"Pathetic. All of you."_ Emiko thought in disgust to herself.

_"You don't know anything."_

_"Nothing."_

"Hey... what do we do now?" Ryuji asked.

"You planning on eating" Ren asked.

"Well, of course, I'm gonna eat, but..." Ryuji got abruptly interrupted by Ann.

"This place has a time limit!" Ann gasped loudly while standing up.

"Oh crap, we only got an hour to eat!" Ryuji freaked out standing up himself too.

"Just fifty minutes left!"

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!"

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu...!" Ann walked away.

"Look after our stuff! We'll snag something for you guys too, don't worry." Ryuji said before leaving as well.

Ren tried moving his arm to tell Ryuji something, but he already was gone which caused him to sweatdrop.  
With a deep sigh, he adjusted his sitting position before shifting his gaze at Emiko who was looking at people passing by them and taking sips of her juice every now and then.

She never even bothered herself to exchange eye contact with him or Morgana which caused a heavy and utter silence to grow in the atmosphere between them.  
Ren started feeling rather uncomfortable from such silence and knew that he had to start a conversation with her _**somehow**_ , but the moment he opened his mouth to say something...

"Don't. Even. Think about it."

 

Now that was harsh.

It caused Ren to sweatdrop again heavily while having a shocked expression on his face.  
She never even looked at him, so how she noticed that he was going to talk to her? And even Morgana was no less shocked from her.  
That caused Ren to grunt in annoyance while readjusting himself again on the couch as Ann and Ryuji came back after a short while with a shit tone of food.

  
"Aw man, it's melting in my mouth!" Ryuji said as he was literally melting.

"Seriously? Only meat?" Morgana asked Ryuji.

"Now, where should I start?" Ann ate her cake.

"And she's all about the cake..."

"So happy..."

"Hey, Calories." Ryuji grinned jokingly at Ann.

"Shuddup! How much do you think one of these costs?! I'll never get the chance to do this again!"

"Sigh... seriously." Emiko sighed in annoyance.

"Mmm, the Wilton Hotel cake buffet... I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!" Ann smiled happily.

"And... where's our share?" Morgana asked.

"I didn't really know what you'd want.. so I just grabbed you some beans." Ryuji replied.

"B-Beans?"

"There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those. Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and... some kind of beans." Ann added.

"M-More beans...?"

"We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good."

"This is just plain grotesque... let's go, Ren. These three just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!"

"All right."

"You guys watch our things while we're gone! Wait patiently for our return!"

"Ahhh, It's like a meaty explosion in my mouth....!" Ryuji was enjoying his food way too much.

"Ooh, that part's cream cheese!"

"They're not even listening..." Morgana sighed hopelessly.

Heading towards the buffet tables, Ren started selecting foods according to Morgana's recommendations from rice and vegetables to fish and sweets and while choosing food, they heard people's gossips about the Phantom Thieves, and of course, most of them were baseless accusations much to Ren's anticipation.  
When their job was done, they returned to the rest with a big plate filled with a different kind of food to its fullest that it almost dropped down from the plate.

"...Ooh, you brought a ton back. Whaddya think about comin' up against such ritzy food?"

"We're happy nonetheless." Ren replied.

"It's nice hearin' that from you two. Just don't get too excited, got it?"

"You're the last person I want giving advices about that, Ryuji." Morgana remarked.

"Don't you think you're eatin' too much, Mona?"

"There's no knowing when we'll get to come here again."

"Sure, but you guys brought back loads of food... it'd be a shame to let it all go to waste. Why don't you help out, Ryuji?" Ann suggested.

"We should both help."

"Oh me? I'm wayyyy too stuffed! I couldn't possibly help!"

"Yeah... stuffin' your face with cake..." Ryuji trailed "And you, Mikki?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that." Emiko closed her eyes while eating a bite of her cake.

"Whatever. Ren, Morgana! Let's deal with this ourselves!"

With bumped up spirits, the two boys along with Morgana started eating the massive amount of food that was placed on the table in front of them as they've never eaten anything in their lives before.  
But it seemed like no matter how much they ate, the quantity of the food stayed the same as they brought it to the table...  
It was such an awkward and embarrassing situation that caused the two teenagers, plus Morgana, to sweatdrop heavily.

"There's still more...?" Morgana groaned.

"I told you it's a bad idea." Emiko blunted monotonically.

"Don't give up! Let's keep at it!" Ryuji cheered his friends up.

"Easy for you to say..." Ren trailed.

This time with much less enthusiasm, the three continued eating whatever was left of food gagging several times and fighting the undying urge to vomit.  
When they finally finished everything, they were extremely full to beyond the limit, barely able to sit down straight and talk.

"W-We did it..." Morgana panted.

"Y-Yeah.... this is a victory... for all of us..." Ryuji was also no less tired.

"Is this some sort of a game to you?" Ren held his stomach.

"N-Not exactly..."

"Good job, you guys. How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness!" Ann exclaimed.

"Stop... I don't wanna hear about sour stuff... this isn't good... I gotta go to the bathroom..."

"Urgh, my stomach...!" Ren whined.

"M-Me too... please carry me gently..." Morgana said.

At that moment, a wealthy married couple passed by the table where the thieves where sitting and gazed at them. The woman began whispering to her husband.

"My, look at that table..."

"They must not normally have the opportunity to eat such exquisite food."

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like."

"What was that...?" Ryuji shouted at the couple, which caused them to walk away.

"...Urp! We don't got time for that... c'mon, let's go..." Ryuji quickly ran away along with Ren carrying Morgana.

"Boys... they never listen." Emiko held the bridge of her nose causing Ann to sweatdrop at her sentence.

*******

The group ran as fast as they could towards the elevator and went on an upper floor while holding their ached stomaches trying their best not to throw up on people or on the floor.  
Not wasting any more time, they dashed to the bathrooms and threw up everything they've ever eaten in the toilets.  
They stayed inside for a good while before walking out to the hallway again still feeling a slight pain piercing through their bodies.

"Ughh, I'm stuffed..." Morgana whined.

"My stomach still hurts me..." Ren winced in pain.

"I totally panicked when I saw the **'Closed for Cleaning'** sign at the bathrooms..." Ryuji said.

"You were talking big about eating until you puked, but really did puke... are you some kind of moron?" Morgana scolded.

"Hey, same goes for you!"

"Takamaki-San and Hayashi are waiting. Let's get back."

"What floor was that restaurant on...?"

"We came up to get here, so it has to be on a lower floor, right?" Morgana questioned.

Ryuji then pressed the elevator's button calling it up to their floor and stood still waiting by tapping his foot on the floor.  
Suddenly, the people around them seemed to be surprised and stood back as other people pushed Ren and Ryuji out of the way.

"......! What the--" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"There's still no update on the case?" A distinguished man asked who was bald and had a small black goatee and wore a business suit and a pair of orange-tinted square glasses.

"N-Not yet... excuse me, but why are you so involved? It's not something you should be concerned with..." A haughty subordinate said.

"I don't care about your opinion, you incomplete buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!"

"Hey, you're cuttin' in line!"

"...What do you want?" The haughty subordinate asked angrily.

".........." Ren stayed silent not saying a thing.

"We're in a hurry." The haughty subordinate said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. So you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?"

"It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a day care?" The distinguished man asked.

"What?"

"Sir, we don't have time for this." The haughty subordinate said.

"I know."

The elevator's door opened and Ryuji tried to force himself in, only to be pushed aside by the haughty man.  
Ryuji was caught off guard tripping and almost fell backward on his back had Ren not quickly acted and supported him to prevent him from falling while glaring at the two men angrily.

"Don't bother with them!" The distinguished man ordered.

 _"That voice....!"_ Ren thought as looking extremely shocked.

"The hell was with that bossy guy?"

"Shouldn't we head back down?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah, but..." Ryuji growled pressing the button again "That dick really pissed me off. He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone!"

"Don't lose your temper over this."

"I just can't forgive shitty adults like that...!"

_"That man's voice...."_

The image of that drunk man who he tried saving the woman from appearing in his head.

_"It sounded almost like the one from back then..."_

"...What's wrong, Renren?"

"Just a bit lightheaded... don't worry."

"You not feelin' good?"

"He almost never eats well, after all... plus I'm always stuck eating canned cat food..." Morgana complained.

"Ugh, that **'sir'** bullshit makes me sick...! ...Dammit!"

That was when the elevator's door opened as the two teenagers walked inside with Ren behind since his mind was preoccupied with the flashback rewinding in his mind over and over which made him hold his ached head as a cold sweat rolled down making its way down his face.  
His voice, tone, it all triggered his memories somehow...

Just what it could possibly mean?

*******

Back to the girls in the buffet, Ann excused Emiko to go away and bring to herself and possibly to the brown-haired one final piece of cake.  
Reaching to the desserts section, Ann was completely unable to make a decision since there were uncountable choices to choose from, a really hard pick-and-choose.  
She stood in her places examining all the possible options before finally making her decision.

  
"All right! Now I've got everything--" Ann was grabbing a piece of puffing.

"I was furious and told my husband--" A woman was walking when she hit Ann and dropped her plate over her fancy dress, thus staining it.

"Hey! This was expensive!"

"You need to be more careful" Her friend scolded Ann.

"Are you all right?" A waiter rushed over the woman.

"This girl just pushed me!" The woman shouted.

"Who raised her to be like this?" Her friend asked.

"Liar! You bumped into me!" Ann protested.

"Why's she here? A girl like that doesn't belong." People started gossiping.

"Doesn't she have a chaperone? The child came alone?"

"I'm sure she's been spoiled rotten by her parents."

"Children today..."

At that moment, everything seemed to grow dark around Ann seeing herself standing in an empty void with eyes staring at her from every direction.  
With bangs shadowing her eyes, Ann quickly left the place returning to where Emiko was and sat down with a pissed expression on her face as she was gritting her teeth in pure frustration.

"Takamaki... what happened?" Emiko hesitated to ask.

As if on cue with her question, the boys returned to the buffet feeling more comfortable then before.  
Well yeah, since they literally threw up everything they've eaten.

"What took you so long?!" Ann complained.

"Why're you all pissy...?"

"Sorry... I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. She bumped into me, but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate..."

"Sound like a real bitch..."

"Yeah... thanks though. But... the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression..."

"Bastards... they're all the same" Emiko mumbled quietly to herself as the boys sat down.

"I wonder if we're out of place here..." Ann trailed.

"It always feels like this..." Ren lowered his head.

"........." Ryuji grunted.

"As much as I hate to say this, but you're right, Amamiya..."

"Hey, Morgana?" Ryuji spoke.

"What is it?"

"...Anyone can have a Palace, yeah?"

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?"

"That would be the case."

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Ann questioned.

"We had a trouble earlier too. These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else..." Ryuji replied "...I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

"You mean... you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?"

"...I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work in changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus... those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people."

"That was pretty unexpected." Ren nodded.

"I... I agree. If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before...!" Ann looked away.

"Well... that's true." Morgana agreed "You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!"

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?" Ryuji asked.

 _"I didn't even think of such possibility... but it's true with that power, we may be able to help people out..."_ Ren thought.

"But... this means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it...?" Ann asked.

"Indeed. That can't be avoided." Morgana nodded.

"Eh, I'm sure we'll manage. Right?" Ryuji grinned.

"If we're together, it can work." Ren smiled.

"Renren!" Ryuji exclaimed loudly and happily.

"Heh... even if you are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now." Morgana spoke for the-matter-of-factly.

"Fledgling...? Haha, that's actually pretty fitting for us." Ann giggled

"All right, it's settled! We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!"

"Hey, Hayashi how about you join us?" Ann suggested happily.

"Yes, you were amazing against Kamoshida, so I'm sure you'll be a perfect addition to the team." Morgana followed.

"Excuse me?" Emiko scuffed angrily.

"What's wrong, Mikki?"

"Me joining you? No, thank you I'd rather not."

"Why's that?"

"Good and evil exist in this world and we don't have the right to mess with this balance. Not me, not you... and definitely not **_you_**." Emiko glared at Ren while saying the last word.

"........" Ren narrowed her eyes.

"You honestly think that you can change the world and shape it in the way you all want with no evil or injustice? Wake up from your childish dreams and face reality. Your actions won't help anyone because people must face their own problems themselves."

"Mikki, what's gotten into you? This isn't you, this isn't the Mikki I knew! I don't want this version of you, give me the old Mikki back!"

"Will you shut up, Sakamoto?! We're not in elementary anymore! The Mikki you know is... is dead."

".......!"

"Just forget about me. Sometimes, you just need to let go of the past... that'll be much easier to you."

"Oh hell no! I'll never give up on you!"

"What...?"

"When I acted like a total dick to Ann last year and we stopped talking, did I ever forget about her? No!"

"Ryuji..."

"You're my childhood friend, Mikki... and I will NEVER do that!"

"...Do whatever you want. And don't worry, I won't say anything about you. It's not in my benefit if you all get exposed since I'll get in troubles too because I'm already acquaintanced with you. Now if you'll excuse me... I must leave." Emiko stood up from the couch preparing herself to leave.

"You don't have to give us your answer right away, Hayashi-San. Think about it."

"........." The brown-haired stole a quick glance at Ren before walking away from them.

"Mikki..."

"Wow, when you said that your friendship was damaged, I didn't expect it'll be that much." Morgana commented.

"I know she'll be back, I just know."

"I know, Ryuji. I believe in that too." Ann smiled sadly "The Hayashi we knew will be back. We just have to believe in it."

"A-Ann..."

".........." Ren adjusted the position of his glasses.

"...Are you OK being our leader, Ren?" Ann asked.

"Eh?"

"No objections here! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff." Ryuji said.

"Where's my say in this...? But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it." Morgana said.

"Um, Takamaki-San..." Ren trailed.

"Just go with Ann. We're friends by now, aren't we?"

"OK... Ann."

"Good to be working with you, Ren."

"Asshole! You blew me off when I said it!" Ryuji shouted.

"Good to be working with you, Ryuji." Ren chuckled.

"O-OK, now you've got it."

_"Then again..."_ Ren looked at the door where Emiko left a while ago.

"Well, should we decide on a name for our group? I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?" Ryuji asked with an excited grin.

"Ooh, I've got it! I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding... let me see... how about **'The Diamonds'**?" Ann suggested.

"...I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it."

"Well then, here's my suggestion. How about **'Tilefish Poele'**?" Morgana spoke up.

"Tile... what?"

"That's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?"

"Hell no, you idiot!"

"What do you think, Ren? Any ideas?" Ann asked.

" **'The Phantoms.'** "

"Huh, that's not bad at all."

"A good name, for a rookie." Morgana commented.

"Well, now's the name set, who's our next target?" Ann asked.

"There are tons of rotten adults and all... why not just stick to targeting big names?"

"To gain more fame?" Ren asked "And like a CEO for an example?"

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, It's gotta get on the news, right? Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?"

"That's not a bad idea... for you, Ryuji." Morgana rolled his eyes.

"True. If we become better known... we might be able to give courage to a lot of people. I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though." Ann sat again.

  
"Let's narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then." Ryuji suggested.

"Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously." Morgana hummed.

"I like that unanimous decision part! It's like we're making some kind of pact!" Ann exclaimed.

"Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!" Morgana announced.

"Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out..." Ann trailed in disappointment.

"I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------_ **

That night, Ren returned home with a big and sheepish grin on his face.  
He hadn't felt that much fun in such a long time. The food was very delicious despite the fact that it only remained in his stomach for a little time before throwing it all up.  
There were several other reasons too why he was so happy that day: The official establishment of the Phantom Thieves, calling his new friends by their firsts names and becoming the leader of The Phantoms group.

The dark-haired still had that big smile on his face after he changed his clothes and laid down on his bed.  
He closed his eyes dreamily dazzling himself in the quietness and peace of the night knowing that everything is working out just fine.  
Morgana was no less happy than the boy and seeing him in such an amazing state made him happy himself as he jumped up on the bed.

"Well, we spent all our money on the buffet, but... we officially established the Phantom Thieves, so it was totally worth it!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Yeah." Ren smiled serenely.

It was then when the soft voice of vibration came from Ren's phone knowing that his new friends were messaging him; a habit that existed since the time it was only him and Ryuji, but the more the merrier.

_Ryuji: The Phantom Thieves, huh... I'm liking the sound of that!_

_Ann: I hope we can really help people._

_Ann: I'm curious about the Phantom Aficionado Website too._

_Ann: I wonder who made it..._

_Ryuji: No clue._

_Ryuji: More importantly, you see the survey on there?_

_Ren: I did._

_Ryuji: I dunno how I feel about it._

_Ann: Yeah, there was this approval rating thing, but it was only at like 6%..._

_Ren: Only? That's way too low..._

_Ryuji: But don't you just wanna get it higher than that?_

_Ryuji: I bet it'll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets._

_Ryuji: But that's pretty damn exciting if you try and think about it like that._

_Ann: You know, you're actually right._

_Ann: Well then, let's keep working hard from this point on!_

_Ryuji: But, y'know... I keep thinking about sonethin'._

_Ann: What is it?_

_Ryuji: Mikki I mean. About the reasons that made her become like this._

_Ryuji: I really don't understand._

_Ann: Yeah, I understand how you feel..._

_Ryuji: Do you think she might join us?_

_Ren: That's her decision. We should leave this to her._

_Ryuji: Yeah, you're right..._

_Ryuji: Sorry for bringin' that up._

_Ann: Ryuji..._

"I actually feel really sorry for Ryuji. It must be really painful to lose a friend like that... I can't even imagine how he feels now." Morgana admitted.

".........."

"And about that detective Akechi, you need to be very careful around him. He has a quick and sharp mind."

"I know."

Placing his phone down, Ren took off his glasses before staring up at the old wooden ceiling above him.  
The joy he felt was gone since his mind went back thinking about Emiko, her harsh words, and unjustified actions towards all of them.  
But still... she has a kind heart of her own. It was obvious when Ren saw how Emiko cried while hugging Mayu on the day Kamoshida confessed his crimes.

Could someone so cruel be so kind at the same time...?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF, I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER!!!
> 
> I know that many of you are probably complaining about the lack of RenEmi, but rest assured. Good things come in their times.
> 
> So be patient to witness how their relationship will grow and blossom~
> 
> Rand Talih💞
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Apr 7/2019


	13. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fatal femme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, everyone! And happy Palm Sunday to all my Catholic fellows out there! =D  
> Wish you all a very happy day with your families and loved ones. ^-^  
> Onto the chapter now!

**_\-------The Velvet Room------_ **

The sound of the very familiar chains clunking in Ren's ears caused him to wake up by fluttering his dark grey eyes open.

Shaking off the dizziness he felt, he stood up from his bed while feeling numbness running through his limbs due to the cuffs that were imprisoning him.  
Lifting his eyes up across the door of the cell, his gaze was met with Igor's sly smirk sitting on his desk in the center of the room along with the young twin wardens staring at him with their golden eyes.

"First off... I'd like to begin by congratulating you." Igor smirked slyly.

"To think our master would give words of praise..." Justine trailed.

"You better treasure this moment, Inmate!" Caroline shouted in a taunting tone.

"You have encountered allies who share your aesthetics, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come... your rehabilitation will soon begin."

"What rehabilitation? I don't understand." 

"Just shut up and listen, Inmate!" Caroline hit the cell's bars.

"You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin." Igor explained "...That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."

"Coming ruin...?" 

"There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin. Fighting Shadows and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another." 

"This is all possible because of our master's guidance, Inmate!" Caroline spoke.

"Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well." Justine added.

"When you're out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!"

"Spending time with those people... will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them." 

"If you've got time to waste, you'd better visit your contractors, Inmate!" 

"That is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master has mentioned." 

"Thanks to the contractors you've formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems your rehabilitation is going well. This is a truly joyous occasion... may the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper." Igor explained "...I have high hopes of you."

"...The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest." Justine spoke calmly as the bell rang.

"And don't forget to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!"

*******

**_\------Time Skip: Next Day------_ **

 

The sounds of joyous laughters and uncomprehensible chatters were filling the air as Shujin's students were happily making their way to school mostly in pairs or groups.  
Between the crowd of students, there was Emiko who stood out being the only person walking all by herself isolated from the world around her.  
She couldn't care less about people around her as the gaze of her dark brown eyes were completely fixed on her phone's screen examining the Meta Nav app for the millionth time.

Memories inside Kamoshida's castle rewinded in her brain as she recalled the events that occurred there.  
Kamoshida's Shadow, the voice of her Persona, her awakening, the battle she had helping out Ren and the other, but most importantly...

 

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

 

Ren Amamiya along with his friends and his talking cat formed this group seeking to help people who are in need with the power if their Personas by changing the hearts of corrupted people.  
Emiko thought that their goals, principal, and ideals were very childish and naive since they were hoping to create a perfect utopia where no evil can exist.

_"It's hopeless. They can't."_

_"Evil will always exist, no matter what."_

That was her point and it held something true in it, but at the same time, she had a second thought about joining them.  
She said she doesn't want to but in reality, she was hesitant.  
It's true that evil will always be there, but wouldn't it be best if it was reduced at least?

She was very deep in her thoughts to the point that she never realized that she stopped her tracks a good while ago and was alone in the street since all the rest of the students were already far away.  
When she snapped back to reality from her daydreams, she shook her head and attempted to run what's left of the way to school so she won't be late.

But as she was about to run...

 

"HELP!"

 

A nearby loud feminine scream of help rang in her ears which caused her to stop at her place almost immediately.  
She followed the source of the sound to find out that it came from a dark alley that was on her right.

"PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The scream pierced again in her ears even louder than the first one which caused Emiko to quickly run inside the alleyway without even thinking ahead.  
With each step she took, the screams of the struggling girl came closer and closer to her along with a husky masculine voice, and when she was approaching the scene their voices became clearer.

A young man was harassing a high school girl that wore the uniform of Shujin.  
She had light brown hair which was tied in pigtails with red ribbons and had red eyes.  
She wore the default female winter Shujin uniform with the exception of white knee socks and dark sneakers.  
She also had the first-year pin hung on the front yank of her black blazer.

"Aw, what's wrong, sweetie? I just wanna give you some fun time."

"No, let me go!"

"C'mon, I know you want it even more than me."

"Stop! Leave me alone!"

"You don't wanna that."

"No, stop!"

"Come with me now. We're gonna have so much fun."

At that moment, the young man grabbed the girl forcefully by her wrist which caused her to yelp in horror.  
Her survival instinct acted up immediately and bit his arm hardly with her teeth.

"BITCH!"

He slapped the girl hardly on her face to the point of her falling down on the hard and cold floor as the young man rubbed his aching arm since her bite was strong.  
It was then when Emiko finally arrived at the scene which made her widen her eyes when she witnessed him so **_sickly_** slapping her and then laughing in sick thrill.  
Cold sweats rolled down on her face as words rang inside her head.

 

**_"Dad, don't you think you've drunk enough already? Too much alcohol is bad, you know."_ **

**_"........."_ **

**_"I... I'll just take this bottle away--"_ **

**_"DON'T TOUCH IT!"_ **

**_*SLAP!!!*_ **

 

_"Not again...!"_

Emiko held her head feeling herself about to undergo another mental breakdown like what happened before at Kamoshida's Palace.  
The weight of that memory was heavy on her, but that wasn't the time for her emotions to get the upper hand of it, so she lifted her face up again glaring at the young man deadly as if she was a wild animal ready to jump and hunt him.

"So you like it rough, huh? I can be rough if that's what you want." He licked his lips while lifting her up again from her wrist.

"NO...!"

"Leave. Her. Alone!" She finally stepped in.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Another chick to play with? This must be my lucky day."

"How about you pick on someone from your size?"

"What'd you say?!"

"Leave her alone now, or else..."

"Or else what?"

The young man angrily threw the first-year away causing her back to hit the wall behind her earning a painful yelp that escaped from her lips.  
He approached Emiko with a deadly look in his eyes staring at her pupils not showing any kind of mercy whatsoever, but Mikki returned the glare with even a deadlier one.

"You don't want to mess with me, chick."

"Try me."

Provoked by her challenging tone, the young man swung his fist in an attempt to punch Emiko in the face, but she swiftly and easily dodged it by moving her face to the side.  
Angered, even more, he tried delivering another punch with his other hand only for Emiko to block it by grabbing his fist in the palm of her hand.  
He was shocked by the physical strength of the girl as his hand stayed in its place unable to break free from her strong grip.

Emiko took the chance to her advantage and gave a mighty knee kick into the man's guts causing him to scream in pain while backing away holding his ached abdomen.  
Again, Emiko swung her leg directly towards his face kicking him powerfully to the point of him falling down on the floor with a loud thud.

The frightened first-year Shujin student gulped down her saliva as cold sweats rolled down her face after witnessing such a one-sided battle with an easy victory like that especially after recognizing her lifesaver.  
She did hear the rumors about her shooting her own father and believed that she was a murderer, but in the same time she has just saved her life.

"If you mess with me, I'll become your worst nightmare. Got that?" Emiko narrowed her eyes talking in a deadly tone.

"Ugh..."

"Go." Emiko looked at the first-year.

"Eh?"

"Go now. Run as fast as you can to school and don't look back."

"Y-Yes! Thank you. Thank you very much!" She bowed several times to Emiko before running out from the alleyway.

Adjusting the position of her glasses, Emiko stared down at the whining man who was yelping in pain while laying down on the floor.  
She scuffed disgustingly at the thought of a man who was over 25 years old seeking sexual pleasure from a 15 or 16-year-old girl.  
The thought made her sick and wanted to gag so much at it to the point of desiring to vomit on the man as an extra punishment for his unjustified actions.

Sure, evil exists everywhere and anywhere, but it can really be reduced by helping people just like Emiko saved the girl, and saving her gave her a weird yet satisfying sensation swirling inside her chest.  
With a smirk on her face, she made her way herself out of the alleyway to school as if nothing had happened back there.

Satisfaction; a sensation she hasn't felt in a long time.

*******

**_\------Morning: Class 2_** - ** _D------_**

Staring out blankly at the window, Ren was staring at his own reflection having a blank expression on his face.  
Hence, even Morgana who was inside his desk noticed the boy's mood but wasn't surprised about it.  
Indeed they had fun yesterday in the buffet until Emiko ruined the joy with her harsh words to Ryuji which was really uncalled for, so he understood his drop in the mood.

As if on cue, the class door opened revealing Emiko who surprisingly came more late than usual.  
Her arrival caught the attention of Ren and Ann along with Morgana, but she quietly walked towards her seat and sat down.  
True Ren was curious about the reason why she was late but thought it'd be best to avoid conversations with her as much as possible.

Few minutes after that, Ms. Kawakami walked inside the class herself announcing the beginning of homeroom.

"Like you heard last week, gym class is canceled today. Instead, I'm supposed to give you some guidance. The gist is, don't go around talking about the incident. That's all. The police are still investigating Mr. Kamoshida, so I can't say anything myself. As a teacher though, I'm ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that... I'm not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like... well, a normal person. Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them..." Ms. Kawakami looked down.

"The teachers have it rough, huh...?" Morgana trailed sadly.

"Oh yeah, I just remembered something I learned about psychology. They say that humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious." 

"Different personalities...?" Morgana's interest was piqued.

"Oh, to be clear. I'm not talking about multiple personality disorder. These different personalities can be a different gender or a different age from you. I mean, if you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image..." Ms. Kawakami explained "...If you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster."

"Oho..."

"Hm? You all seem more alert than usual. Did I say something wrong? Well, I'm just saying what I've heard. It feels like I just now understood what I learned long ago." 

"Subconscious personalities... It's a fascinating topic, and it has a lot to do with us. That teacher's surprisingly smart, huh?"

"I guess..." Ren trailed.

After that, class rapped up like usual smoothly and slowly at the same time.  
Ren had half of his attention focused on the lecture and because of that, he didn't feel the time flying by until the bell rang announcing the beginning of lunchtime.  
Among the crowded voices of students, he calmly placed his books inside his desk putting Morgana inside his bag before heading out of the class seeing both of Ryuji and Ann standing near the stairs with Ryuji scrolling through his phone.

"It ain't much, but we've been gettin' more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website... **'I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.'** Ugh, deal with that yourself!"

"Hey, those girls..." Ann pointed at two girls walking out of a classroom.

"You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart? I wonder if it's true." 

"It's gotta be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?" 

"But look at what happened to Kamoshida." 

"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself." 

"Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."

"Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!" 

"I wonder if it'll affect our college entrance..." One said before the two walked away.

"That's prolly a normal reaction for now, but... they'll see soon enough! If we can take two or three famous guys, people'll have to believe we exist!"

"So about those big shots... we don't have any leads yet, right? Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too..." Ann pointed out.

"This nonsense is still on?" Ren shook his head.

"Looks like you'll just have to live normal, honest school life for the time being. Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?" Morgana reminded seriously.

"I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around." Ryuji spoke.

"And I'll try to dig up some dirt online." Ann added.

"We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target..." Ryuji trailed.

"There, there..." Ann patted on his shoulder.

"I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to..."

*******

_**\------Meanwhile: Principal's Office------** _

Kobayakawa was sitting inside of his office staring blankly at the papers piled down on his desk.  
It was obvious from his facial expression that he was feeling very nervous and tensed.  
Kamoshida's scandal was getting the upper hand of him and thought that it was threatening his position as a principal of the school.

He let out a deep and troubled sigh escape him as if he was carrying a big weight on his shoulders.  
What caught back his attention was the sound of the door knocking, and when he allowed the knocker to come in, a dignified female student stepped into the office with a stern and mature look on her face.

"Excuse me. Did you wish to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?"

"You saw the state Kamoshida-Kun was in, didn't you? It's as if his personality has completely changed. Something is definitely wrong here." 

"I'm not sure if I follow..." 

"From what I've heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business. If they did something to him... who could they be...?" 

"Are you saying that these students may have caused Mr. Kamoshida to change...?" 

"That is what I wish to know... even if it takes some probing into student matters... I would like you to look into this for me." 

"It is true that there are many rumors regarding Mr. Kamoshida, but... do you mean all of this talk about those Phantom Thieves?" 

"It is undeniable that Mr. Kamoshida has **'changed'** in some way. I'd like to have a grasp of the cause. This shall also ensure that I handle the mass media and police in the correct fashion." 

"Oh..." 

"I will continue speaking to Mr. Kamoshida myself. Unless you find whomever did this, these irresponsible rumors will likely never die down. Don't you agree? You have been at the top of your class since day one. Your conduct is good, and teachers favor you. I could write you a recommendation for any college of your choosing, **_Makoto Niijima_**." 

"Th-Thank you..." Makoto stuttered.

Makoto had brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a French-braid styled headband that matched her hair color. Her eyes were amber in color.  
Her winter school's uniform appeared normal but without the standard blazer. Instead, she wore a black halter vest over a long sleeve white shirt with a turtleneck.  
She wore the regulation black and red pleated plaid skirt, black pantyhose and black-brown ankle boots.

"Your lineage must certainly play a part in this excellence. Your sister is still young, yet she holds an admirable position at the Public Prosecutors Office, no...?" Principal Kobayakawa continued to grin.

".......!" 

"If something disappointing were to happen here, that wouldn't reflect very well on your sister..." Principal Kobayakawa trailed playfully "...Do you understand?"

 

Did he just blackmail her?

 

"...Yes."

"How wise. It's no wonder you're our _**student council president**_. I'd appreciate if you looked into this as soon as possible. I ask that you begin at once." Principal Kobayakawa chuckled.

Makoto felt hurt and insulated from the inside as she lowered her head down.  
Everything Kobayakawa said was true about her and her grades, but most importantly, _**her sister.**_  
She knew that she didn't have a choice but to agree, and thus she lifted her face up again.

"Yes. If you'll excuse me then."

Makoto bowed down respectively to the principal before walking out of his office and closing the door behind her.  
After the student council president left, he pulled out his phone dialing an unknown number.

Then Kobayakawa called someone unknown on his phone "It's me, sir. My apologies for troubling you at such a busy time... yes, it's about the matter we discussed earlier... I have all bases covered. The investigation will begin immediately... of course... yes, I will get results... I should be able to update you soon... well then, I must be going. Thank you very much for your time..."

After he hung him, he adjusted his sitting position while fixing his neck bow.  
He really hoped to get into the bottom of this and solve it once and for all before it could escalate to something more serious.

*******

_**\------Afternoon: Class 2**_ - _ **D------**_

_Ryuji: The police are really here... I saw 'em at the entrance._

_Ann: I saw them too! They were talking to the teachers!_

_Ryuji: That change of heart thing's seriously amazing, huh?!_

_Ann: I hope they don't find out we're responsible..._

_Ryuji: I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. There's no proof it was us._

_Ren: Yeah totally, there's no need to worry like this._

_Ann: You sound so sure of yourself..._

_Ann: But I mean, haven't rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?_

_Ryuji: This world's Kamoshida shouldn't know anything about what actually happened to him though._

_Ann: Still..._

_Ren: Chill out, Ann._

_Ryuji: We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label._

_Ann: I guess that's true..._

_Ryuji: Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life!_

_Ren: All right, Renren! We're gonna be counting on you!_

_Ren: Stop calling me that._

*******

_**\------Time Skip: After School------** _

The school day was finally over, and thus Ren was closing the zipper of his bag that held his cat inside.  
And just when he was about to carry it and head out, Mishima suddenly approached the noirest with a big smile on his face. 

"...Hey." Mishima approached the boy.

"Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"

"I've heard of it."

"I'm the one who started it."

"What are you..." Ren trailed.

"Um...! ...You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Mishima whispered leaning his face close to Ren.

"Give me some space." Ren spoke firmly.

"...Sorry." Mishima backed "Although... if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much for a way for me to apologize for it... but if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"

"That's great, Mishima but..."

"I'm glad to hear that. There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something... they can't let this end after just one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on site." Mishima said as showing his phone " **'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves, or not?'** I... hope someday my forum is filled with supportful posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! ...Can I, please?"

"It's up to you..."

"In that case, I'll just do what I want." Mishima chuckled.

_"I sense abundantly high expectations from Mishima..."_

_**I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

 

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

 

_**With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...** _

 

"...See you." Mishima rushed out of the class.

As if on cue, both of Ryuji and Ann walked towards the shocked Ren just right after Mishima exited the class.

"We heard all that. Geez... it was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

"So that forum is Mishima-Kun's..." Ann trailed.

"Has he figured out our identities?" Morgana asked shockingly after popping his head out of the bag. 

"Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool." Ann added.

"I guess we should have a little chat about this later." Ryuji added.

"I will say though... a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful." Morgana spoke for the-matter-of-factly.

"Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target." 

"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one. Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prepare our equipment and--" Ann got interrupted.

"Wait, oh CRAP!" 

"What's with you?!" 

"D-D-Don't we have an exam comin' up?!" 

"...Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?" 

"I-It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!"

"I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!" 

"Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji." Morgana added.

"What's questionable is whether you're really even a human." Ryuji smirked "...Good comeback, huh?"

"...Let's discuss with our fists!"

"Bring it!" Ryuji took a battle pose.

"Will you two stop it?!" Ann complained.

"Dear God..." Ren trailed while sweatdropping.

Little did the three know that Emiko was standing right outside of the class's door and heard the entire conversation.  
That little quarrel of Ryuji with Ann first then with Morgana made her chuckle in amusement a bit while closing her eyes.  
She enjoyed that small chuckle even though it was very short because it's been a long time for her laughing at anything in particular.  
Still having the faint smile on her lips, she walked away towards the hallways as their funny words still lingering in her head.

*******

  
_**\------Hayashi Resident------**_

"I'm back."

Emiko announced her return as she took her shoes off and placed them near the door.  
The ever so delicious aroma came out from the kitchen filling the house's atmosphere and to the girl's nose.  
It was very obvious that her mother was cooking dinner since this was the usual time Emiko came back home because she never hanged out with anyone after school ever since her father's death.

"Welcome home, honey."

A soft feminine voice rang out from the kitchen as footsteps made their way to the living room.  
A woman came out to Emiko who had fair skin, dark eyes, and dark hair tied into two low pigtails with orange hair ties.

"So how was school today? Anything new?"

"Same as always."

"Honey... this not healthy, you know. You need to make new friends and go out of the house. You can't stay like this forever."

"I'll go and change my clothes."

As if ignoring her mother's statement, Emiko made her way to her bedroom with heavy and lazy footsteps while her mother just shook her head hopelessly.  
She would tell Emiko countless times to stop living in the past and live her life while she can especially by making new friends and hang out with them, but no matter how much she tried to lecture her, she'd just turn her cold shoulder.

"What should I do with her...?"

She returned to continue preparing the meal, and yet her mind was preoccupied with her beloved daughter.  
It hurt and broke her heart a lot from inside seeing her in such a state because Emiko was never like this before.  
She was a cheerful little girl who'd find joy and happiness in the smallest things possible.  
She'd always smile, laugh, and play with other children especially Ryuji.  
The Hayashi house was filled with happiness and waves of laughter almost every day.

But it was like that until that cursed day...

And even though Emiko had drastically changed after that incident, her mother knew more than ever that she'll have to pour extra effort to stay strong for her daughter's sake.  
She'd try to stay optimistic and coherent as much as possible despite everything.  
She even tried her best so her daughter won't see her tear-drenched pillow every morning after spending entire nights in crying.

She was really doing everything in her power, but the smile on her daughter's face was long gone.  
She can't even remember the last time she has seen her smiling or laughing at all.  
Oh, how she missed those lovely and beautiful days indeed.

Wiping her tears away, she went back to preparing the table and placing the dishes on it, and it was then when Emiko changed to more comfy clothes and returned to help her mother.  
The meal consisted mainly of tofu, but there was also some soup and salad on the side so the dinner won't be very plain.

"Let's eat."

Splitting their chopsticks in half, the mother and child started digging into their food and eating it in silence.  
The room was utterly and killingly silent with no voice at all but the ticking of the clock hung on the wall and the wooden chopsticks into the food.  
The mother looked closely at the eyes of her daughters while eating and noticed from her expressions that she wanted to say something even if she didn't show that, so she made the first move after swallowing her last bite.

"You seem more quiet than usual, honey. Is there something you want to say?"

"Yeah, I think you can say that."

"Well, what is it?"

"Mom, it's good to help people in trouble, right? But aren't they supposed to face their own problems themselves instead of relying on others all the time?"

"Well, you do have a point but you're being unfair at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"You see honey, not all people are equally smart or resourceful to know how to deal with their problems. There are people who are very simple and peaceful who don't know how to stand up for themselves and helping those people give them courage and hope that there's still some good in this world."

"But won't evil always exist no matter what we do?"

"Of course evil is always out there no matter where you go and when the world was created, it was created with both good and evil. And much as it sad seeing how much evil has grown nowadays, but it still can be reduced."

"I..."

"Listen, sweetie, if a person can help another in need then why not? No good person deserves to suffer in their lives as we did for example, so if helping someone might avoid them from such suffering, then I don't see a reason why not."

"I helped someone today..."

"Oh?"

"She was a first-year at my school and I don't know her. She was being sexually harassed by that _**disgusting**_ young man. I don't know what came up over me, but the moment he slapped her for trying to defend herself reminded me of myself..."

"Sweetie..."

"It made me think that girl did nothing wrong, so why should she suffer? It was then when I stepped in and helped her."

"And you did well. I'm so proud of you. Tell me, what did you feel after you helped her?"

"I felt... good and satisfied."

"Is there anything else to be said then?"

**_"...I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."_ **

**_"You mean... you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?"_ **

**_"...I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work in changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus... those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people."_ **

**_"If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before...!"_ **

**_"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?"_ **

"No, I finally understand."

 

_"Yes, I understand it all now."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah, I finally finished this chapter.
> 
> *Imitates Jay's evil laugh* Things are getting quite interesting, eh?~ Mweheheheh~
> 
> Rand Talih💞
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Apr 14/2019


	14. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The collective Palace of the general public.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's finally back, survived the senior year final exams, and brought a new update?~ ME OF COURSE!!!  
> I know you guys waited for me for so long, and I've waited long to write a new chapter too!  
> So without any further ado, onto the chapter now! =D

   _ **-**_ ** _\-----After School: Shujin's Rooftop------_**

  
"None of these posts are any good. Everyone's just bitching about their parents or their boyfriends. There ain't even a hint of a hint about a new Palace..."

"We can't get everything online... finding a post with a name and location is asking a lot..." Ann added for the-matter-of-factly.

"Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then."

"Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?" Morgana asked.

"...Yeah, you're right. We should prolly just hold off 'til exam are done with, huh? We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up emptyhanded of it happens..."

The sound of a loud metallic squeak kicked in which caused all the three teenagers to get startled by jumping up and quickly adjusting their positions.  
Morgana even got frightened by the sudden sound and quickly jumped down hiding under the desk he was standing on.  
Their hearts started beating fast when they heard footsteps making their way closer and closer to them steadily and firmly as if their owner knew exactly where they were heading.

"I thought I'd see you all here."

It was just Emiko and surprisingly, with a rather calm expression on her face.

"Oh, it's just you." Morgana came out from his hiding spot jumping up again on the desk.

"Mikki?! What're you doin' here?"

"Got a minute? I need to talk to all of you."

"What is it, Hayashi?" Ann asked.

"...If by any chance your offer is still on of me joining you, then I'd like to take it."

Shock aroused on all of their faces.

"What made you change your mind so suddenly, Hayashi-San?" Ren questioned.

"My reasons don't concern you."

"Well, we were really hoping you'd join us, Emiko." Morgana began "Your weaponry and combat skills were very remarkable and will be very helpful to us in the Metaverse."

"What do you think, leader?" Ann looked over at Ren while smiling sweetly.

"I have no problem at all."

"Leader...? Can't say I'm surprised hearing that." Emiko eyed the boy carefully.

"All right! I knew you'll join us, Mikki!"

Ryuji shouted loudly and happily before wrapping his arm around Emiko's neck and twirling his other fist in her hair, thus messing it in every direction possible.

"H-Hey, let go of me!"

"Can't you remember how much you loved when I did this to you when we were kids?"

"I said let go of me, you moron!"

She forcefully pushed him away with an embarrassed and angered look on her face from such a display like that out in the public.  
Her hair got messy thanks to Ryuji's act, so she had to try her best to fix it by just brushing it backward with her hands.

"C'mon, Mikki no need to be such a buzzkiller."

"Yeah, Ryuji's just happy that you finally agreed to join us. Right, Ren?" Ann threw a closed-eye smile at the noirest.

"Y-Yeah."

"Already with the first name basis?" Emiko raised an eyebrow.

"Of course." Morgana nodded "You want to join us, you'll do that with our terms."

"I guess that's fair enough. I **_DID_** choose to join you guys, after all..."

Cutting their conversation, surprisingly and unexpectedly the roof's door opened creating a rusty and squeaky sound which made Morgana quickly hid away in the speed of the flash.  
No one knew about their meeting area except for Emiko who was already there which is why they all tensed up and felt themselves on edge as footsteps made their way to them.

"Oh..." Ann got alerted.

"This place is off limits, you know." It was Makoto Niijima approaching the group.

"...We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'. Anyways, what's Miss Council President want with us?"

"The troublemaker, the girl of rumor, and the infamous transfer student... interesting combination."

"Infamous?" Ren had a skeptical look in his eyes.

"Hayashi-San?! What are you doing here? I never expected to see you here with this group."

"That doesn't concern you, Niijima-Senpai."

"But you never had any connection to Mr. Kamoshida whatsoever."

"If you really believe that, then you are solely mistaken." Emiko scoffed angrily "So many things happen behind your back in this school and you don't even have an idea of what's going on here. What an amazing student council president you are."

"Do you mean... that Mr. Kamoshida did something to you as well?!"

"It wasn't that hard to figure it out, was it?"

".......! Great way to start a conversation..." Ann gritted her teeth.

"Who are you?" Ren asked the girl.

"She's the student council president." Ann replied.

"Makoto Niijima. Nice to meet you."

"........" Ren only knitted his eyebrows.

"By the way... It seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well, Amamiya-Kun."

"Not really. Plus, I moved here not too long ago."

"Yeah, y'know he's only been here a month or so."

"Hm... I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record. Don't you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida, I mean."

"........." Ren didn't answer.

"What's all this about? My friend here's an upstanding guy."

"I don't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr. Kamoshida. The rumors about that odd, calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."

"I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tactless stuff, Niijima-Senpai." Ann scuffed.

"I dunno that is was tactless..." Ryuji commentated "Anyways, we done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us."

"At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay..."

"Horseplay...?!" Ann shouted in frustration.

"And what are we supposed to do regarding that?" Emiko folded her arms "Is this everything you wanted to say?"

"Ah yes, by the way... It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all... I'm sorry to have interrupted you."

"What was that all about?" Ann asked annoyingly as Morgana came out from his hiding spot.

"...She's on to us. That girl seems rather sharp. We should be cautious of her." Morgana remarked.

"She really pisses me off!" Ryuji growled.

"You probably should be careful, Ryuji." Ren adjusted his glasses.

"Talk about a pain in the ass..." Ryuji growled.

"By the way, you did such an amazing job dodging her, Emiko." Morgana commented.

"It's only because I don't like her one bit. She thinks herself the smartest and above all the rest. I really despise those kinds of people..." She balled her fists.

"........!" A surprised expression rose on Ren's face.

"That reminds me.... study hard. Especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains. Keep in mind that everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities." Morgana reminded.

"True, studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us preparing to be Phantom Thieves." Ann added cheerfully.

"I guess you got a point... but man, it's just so lame... I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'..."

"Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you beforehand. You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all." Morgana smiled mysteriously.

"Huh? Mission?" Ryuji asked.

"Follow me."

The cat hoped into Ren's bag and gave a signal with his head to the group as if telling them to move on.  
Acknowledging his sign, Ren carried his bag placing it on his shoulder before the rest followed him as well.

"Be cautious of that girl. She seems rather sharp." Morgana whispered to the ravenette.

"I know."

Things were just going to get worse and worse for Ren since the threat has been doubled now. First, it was the famous ace detective Goro Akechi, and now the student council president Makoto Niijima.

Who could be else next?

*******

**_\------Subway Station------_ **

That was the last place the group thought Morgana was going to take them.  
It was indeed an unusual location for a meeting to discuss the details of an upcoming so-called "mission" since it was out in the open and in the public.  
The sound of trains coming and going along with people walking past them and speakers announcing trips rang in their heads giving the place a lively atmosphere.

Still, why would Morgana take them to the subway station between all places? The small diner in Shibuya would've been a better candidate, so that question never left them alone.

"What're you bringin' us here for?" Ryuji asked

"Just do as I told you." Morgana said.

"All right, I've got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?"

"Look for a post with a full name in it."

"I already said there's no info on any big shots. Don't you remember? But man, people actually go put someone's real name on here. That's some scary shit..."

" **'He won't listen to what I say'**...No wait, there's no name on this one." Ann sighed in disappointment.

" **'Someone's bad-mouthin' me in online chat rooms'**... This one's got a name." Ryuji showed his phone to Ann.

"Ignore those. Aren't there any posts about more serious trouble?" Morgana asked.

" **'I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara.'** It says he's a teller at the City Hall." Ann read.

"A government worker's stalkin' someone...?"

"Stalking you say?" Emiko's attention was piqued in every worst way possible.

Yes, Ren could tell. The anger, disgust, and frustration in her eyes.  
She had the same deadly and demonic look on her face she gave to Ann during Ren's way to his first day at Shujin.  
He remembered every single detail of it, and that's why he recognized it immediately.

"That should be a suitable target. All right, now get the Meta-Nav app ready." Morgana instructed.

"We're just gonna jump right into a Palace? Fine by me!" Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"Hey, what happened to all that talk of **'unanimous decision'**? What do you think we should do, Ren" Ann sought for an answer from the leader.

"Let's go."

"And you, Emiko?" Ann shifted her gaze to the brown-haired.

"Geez, I still need to get used by you calling me by my first name..." Emiko scratched the back of her head annoyingly.

"Emiko...?"

"...I'm ready."

"That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"OK then, let's go." Ann nodded in acknowledgment.

"We need a name and a place, right? So the name is..." Ryuji was about to say.

"Actually, we don't need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is... **'Mementos'**." Morgana interrupted.

"Huh? What're you tryin' to pull?"

"Just listen to me. It should work... I think."

"Geez, that again...?" Ryuji sighed.

"Is there a time you'll ever be sure about anything?" Emiko shot back.

"Just do it already!" Morgana whined.

"Uhhh... **'M-e-m-e-n-t-o-s,'** was it?" Ryuji asked uncertainly about what he just spelled.

 ** _"Candidate found."_** The Meta-Nav said.

"We got a hit?!" Ryuji gasped loudly.

"Just as I thought!" Morgana smirked in victoriously.

As if on cue with what the nav said about finding a candidate so they can go to the Metaverse, everything that surrounded the teenagers turned into a dark vortex as their vision twirled along with it which was a sensation they all were familiar with.

 

 

 

 

******

 

 

_**\------Mementos------** _

When their vision cleared up from the blurriness due to moving through dimensions, they still found themselves in the subway station, but it wasn't right at the same time.  
Not only all people vanished, but something about the atmosphere wasn't right either; it was dark, gloomy, and very light at the same time.  
They all got alerted due to the sudden change, but Morgana seemed to be very relaxed as if he knew exactly what was going on.

"What in the...?" Emiko turned around her looking shocked and taken off guard.

"Everyone disappeared....!" Ann gasped "It... kinda feels like I'm walking on air...?"

"It looks like a dark version of Shibuya subway station." Ren added.

"Is this that Nakanohara guy's Palace?" Ryuji asked.

"That's half right, but half wrong. This is a type of Palace, but It's different from normal ones." Morgana replied "Come on, let's head down. The Shadows here lurk underground. I don't quite understand why. It may be because they're drawn to something."

"Underground....? How are we going to get there?" Ann asked.

"How? You use it every day on your way to school. Follow me!" Morgana said as hopping down to the escalator.

"Ah! Wait up, cat!" Ryuji said running after him.

Taken aback, the four teenagers hopped down the escalator as fast as they could to follow the cat who was already far down ahead of them.  
However, during the trip down Emiko realized that the more they descended, the heavier the atmosphere got and the more lightheaded she felt.  
It was weird of course, but knowing that she survived Kamoshida's Palace, she could pull this off.

But what lied ahead at the very bottom was something they yet still needed to reconsider.

Not only the atmosphere was darker down below, but the walls were also covered with large red veins similar to the human ones which sent goosebumps to the teenagers.  
Their shocked eyes wandered around them in awe examining their surroundings seeking for answers.  
True it looked and felt different from Kamoshida's castle, but this realm still raised so many questions for them.

"The hell is this place...?" Ryuji looked around him in awe.

That was when the blonde-haired looked down at himself than the others noticing the drastic change in their appearance.  
They were no longer in their normal everyday attire but dressed in their phantom thieves attire.

"Wait, our clothes changed?!" Skull gasped shockingly.

"The Shadows know we're here?!" Panther asked while everyone looked at Mona.

"Since the moment we stepped in." Mona simply said.

"What?!" Emiko was highly alerted.

"You should've told us!" Skull snapped.

"We're still safe right here. I've come to investigate a number of times. Shadows never come up to this floor. But it's a different story once you go down. This place is simply teeming with them."

"More importantly, what is this Mementos?! It's about time you start explaining." Panther shouted.

"Mementos is... everyone's Palace." Mona said simply.

"Huh? Whaddya mean **'everyone's'**...?" Skull asked.

"A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person's wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That's where we are now..."

"Mementos." Joker continued the sentence.

"Now that you mention it, this place feels a bit different from Kamoshida's Palace..." Panther trailed.

"A shared Palace among the general public that represents their cognition..." Emiko muttered those words quietly.

"When you say shared... you mean they're all put together? Even though they're just strangers...?" Skull asked.

"Think of it as the collective unconscious... no, never mind. You wouldn't understand that." Mona said.

"So, what you're saying is... using this place, we can even change the hearts of people who don't have a Palace?" Panther asked.

"Correct! The steps to do so are slightly different though." Mona cleared up.

"But this place looks pretty huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin'...?" Skull asked.

"It seems the time has finally come..."

The rest of the four thieves looked pretty much confused they shared confused and questionable looks between themselves as they watched the black talking cat hop down from the escalator to the floor.  
He looked extremely confident of himself and even had a smug smirk on his face.

 

 

"Morganaaa... transfoooooorm!"

After such a scream and much to the thieves' confusion, Mona jumped up and got surrounded by a cloud of smoke when he was in mid-air, but the surprise was when he landed down, he shapeshifted entirely and took the form of a black van.

"What the--" Emiko stepped back a little.

"Dude... that's..." Skull trailed with wide eyes.

"Come on, Panther and Emiko. Ladies first." Mona had an attempted seductive tone in his voice.

"A car...?!" Panther widened her eyes.

"No way!" Skull gasped.

"This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training. It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform." Mona said.

"You turnin' into a car is totally different than our clothes changin'!"

"Uh-huh." The Joker and Panther nodded at the same time.

With that said, Emiko stared at her gloved hand after opening her palm feeling something different about herself after her attire changed like that.  
She felt more confident, courageous, and stronger as if she can do anything.  
It was a beautiful and satisfying sensation to her because it's been a **_damn_** long time since Emiko felt this good and alive; it was indeed something new to her.

And that alone made her smirk darkly to herself.

Joker noticed that dark smile on the new recruit's face which is why he couldn't help but have a grim facial expression.  
He knew that something was off about the pale blue-haired's smirk and couldn't exactly point it out, after all, she was the secretive and mysterious type, so he knew as much that talking with her would only cause more troubles and headaches to him, so he decided to just leave her be.

But he couldn't deny that he was concerned, and maybe just maybe a little **_scared_** of her.

"For some reason **'cats turning into buses'** is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public." Mona explained.

"Why a bus though?" Panther asked.

"...No idea."

"Wait, why didn't you do this at the castle?!" Skull asked.

"I would have if I could! But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!"

Suddenly Skull ran inside of the van without any further introductions much to the surprise and shock of the others.

"Hey, Skull! Ladies first!" Panther ran after the blondie.

"Stop pullin' me! That's dangerous!"

"Panther! Please be gentle!" Mona begged desperately.

The other remaining two shared blank eye contact with one another before deciding to join the others inside the Monamobile.

"All aboard! Let's go!" Skull exclaimed

But the van didn't move an inch. Of course, since no one was sitting in the driver's seat.  
Real smooth, Skull. Real smooth.

"Why are you all just sitting back there? I'm a car, remember? I'm not going anywhere unless someone drives me."

"You can't drive yourself?!"

"Do you know how to drive?" Panther asked the leader.

"Time to bust my moves."

"...Um, safety first, OK?"

"Is that supposed to be funny or something? Because I'm not laughing." Emiko crossed her arms.

"It's not like you even smile at all..." Joker mumbled to himself.

"What was that?!"

Oh, _crap!_

"N-Nothing."

"You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me?!" Mona reminded in a threating tone.

"All right then, we'll leave the driving to you, Joker!" Panther exclaimed as the leader got off from the car and went to the front seat again.

"Now start the engine! You can't drive if it's not running!" Mona spoke up.

"Geez, what a pain... where's the key to this thing?" Skull asked annoyingly as he hopped next to Joker in the front seat.

"Why would you need a key?! There's a switch just down next to the steering wheel."

"That tickles! Lower, lower!" Mona laughed.

"Sorry, Mona." Joker apologized as lowering the switch and the engine started.

"Oh, there... that feels sooo goooooood." Mona was literally melting.

"Uh, is that purrin' I hear...? What a creepy-ass car!"

"Don't underestimate my meowtary engine. We're going full throttle! It's time to fly!" Mona exclaimed.

"Great, I ended up joining a bunch of idiots..." Emiko mumbled while holding the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index.

With a sweatdrop since he heard that mumble wide and clear, Joker moved his hand to the steering wheel and started driving.  
He wasn't accustomed nor familiar with such a thing, so the beginning was very rocky and harsh, but a little bit later, his driving automatically became better.

"Man... this place totally does feel like a Palace..." Skull widened his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess it'd be strange driving on the tracks like this in the real world... anyway, Nakanohara's somewhere in here, right?" Panther asked.

"Most likely in a segment of his own creation. Don't worry, it won't be the size of a Palace. Our next step is to find an entrance to that segment." Mona explained.

"And what's this entrance gonna look like?" Skull asked.

"I have no idea, but strong distortions should be a pretty obvious visual clue." Mona replied.

"So we just gotta go wanderin' around it then? What a goddamn pain in the ass..." Skull sighed.

With that said, the thieves were drawn then to complete silence as the dark-haired handled the task of driving around that realm.  
He was technically driving on subway railways but surprisingly, the car was going smoothly on them with no troubles whatsoever.  
Meanwhile, both of Skull and Panther were smashing their faces on the windows expressing loud and childish voices of awe at the sight of Mementos.  
Even though it was the public's Palace and a realm of Shadows, its appearance was still intriguing even for people like the two blondies.  
But their exaggerated awes made the new member sweatdrop heavily.

"Shadows! Look out!" Mona was first to shout.

As of on cue and already prepared, Emiko got her face out of the window after opening it, pulled out a gun, and shot the Shadow that was running towards the Monamobile.  
Other two Shadows appeared and attempted to jump on the car but with two swift moves, the girl shot them both in mid-air turning to two clouds of black goo.

She returned back to her seat with a blank expression as if nothing happened at all.  
Her new teammates shot her astonished, shocked, and surprised looks given how fast they reacted.  
Had she not almost immediately shot them, they might've engaged in an unnecessary battle.

"W-Wow...!" Mona was at a loss for words.

"Mikki, that was a total ass-kicking!"

"Yes, it was amazing! And the way you shot those Shadows!" Panther followed.

"Morgana?" Emiko spoke up.

"Yes?"

"What's the deal behind those clothes anyway?"

"This what happens when you oppose a Palace's ruler and see you as a threat, but it also helps to protect you from the distortions. Your appearance also reflects your rebel soul, so it's also deeply connected to who you are."

"I see..."

"You know, I was wondering... why do your hair and eye color change in the Metaverse, Emiko?" Panther asked curiously.

"Yeah, I wanna know too!" Skull looked at her from in front.

"Do I look like someone who can answer that?"

"What do you think, Mona? Or you don't know that either?" Skull didn't put his hopes up.

"Hey, don't give me that! This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this! But whatever the reason may be, it's deeply connected to Emiko's personality."

"Wait, we still haven't given Emiko a code name yet!" Panther exclaimed.

"A... code name?"

"It wouldn't be cool for phantom thieves to call each other by their real names, am I right?" Skull grinned goofily.

"You moron..." Mona mumbled "That's just his opinion. The real reason is to protect our identities from exposure during infiltration."

"So that's what this is all about."

"I'm Skull, he's Joker, Panther, and Mona."

"Now, what code name will be good for you...?" Panther trailed.

"Judgin' by your clothes.... **'Soldier'**!" Skull exclaimed.

"Pass."

"Oh, you definitely look like a **'Warrior'**!" Panther followed.

"Next."

"What do you think, Joker?" The ash blonde-haired sought an answer from the leader.

" **'Aqua'** maybe?"

"...And you call yourself a leader?"

"Well, what do you want to be called?"

"How about **'** **Flare'** since my combat and weaponry skills are as obvious as it?"

"Why don't we go literal and name you **'Show-off'**?" Mona laughed.

"How about I go literal by leaving a bullet in your head?"

"N-No, thanks."

"Hey, that ain't bad! I like it!" Skull grinned widely.

"OK, Flare it is!" Panther exclaimed.

"Good to have you, Flare." Joker tried his best to pull at least one faint smile on his face.

"I will do whatever I can, but no guarantees though." Flare closed her eyes while pulling her white muffler up to cover her mouth.

"Such a tough audience..." Mona mumbled to himself.

"I heard that."

With that statement, the other three laughed nervously while sweatdropping heavily, and yet Flare remained in her position with her eyes closed and her muffler covering half of her face.  
The journey continued as the car drove inside the railways of Mementos, and it went relatively smoothly without many interruptions from Shadows since Flare shot them from the window.  
Her other teammates were astonished from her abilities and thought that she possibly can do that with her eyes closed.

That pace continued until Mona started getting a strong reading nearby and started giving Joker directions.  
He followed all of Mona's instructions as the other three thieves seemed on guard knowing that the target is now not so far from them.  
Soon enough, the car finally stopped, and they took off letting Mona revert back to a cat, but it seemed that they reached a dead end, but the wall across them had a reddish portal on it. That was definitely the segment's entrance.

"Dude, what the hell is this...? It's all wavy and shit." Skull widened his eyes.

"This is the place... I sense the target up ahead. Now, are you ready, Joker?" Mona asked.

"Let's do this!" Joker ran into the segment along with the others.

The other side wasn't very different from Mementos overall.  
It was an empty room that had railways on the floor, and the walls were also covered with red veins just like how they saw in every corner of this realm.  
However, right across the room stood the silhouette of a person covered with a black aura roaming around it.

"Hey, something's there." Skull pointed at the silhouette standing a few feet away from them.

"That seems to be Nakanohara's Shadow." Mona added.

"Lemme see. Some front desk guy at City Hall became a stalker, right?"

"I don't know how much evil he's done, but we have to do something if he's bothering other people." Panther narrowed her eyes.

"All right, let's talk to him." Joker said as looking at his teammates.

"We're behind you, Joker." Morgana nodded as they walked towards him.

"Who are you?!" Shadow Nakanohara yelled.

"Are you that stalker?! Haven't you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels?" Panther asked angrily.

"She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's wrong with me doing the same?!"

"Your property?" Flare knitted her eyebrows angrily.

"You can't treat someone like shit just 'cause they did it to you! What a load of crap..." Skull gritted his teeth "We're gonna change that hearts of all bastards like you!"

"There are millions of people far worse than me! What about Madarame...? He stole everything from me, but you're letting him off the hook?!" Shadow Nakanohara yelled.

"Madarame?" Joker whispered to himself.

"...Madarame? What the hell this guy goin' on about?" Skull mumbled.

However, a dark gooey aura formed around the Shadow's body turning him to a stronger version of a Shadow that resembled a brown cat in a way or another surrounded with a reddish dark aura, but Mona couldn't deny that he felt his power increasing drastically.

"Get ready! Here he comes!" Mona exclaimed.

"Now that I finally have what's rightfully mine... I'm not going to let you take it away... look... this is a winner-takes-all world. Come fight me and I'll show you what I mean!"

"DIE!" Shadow Nakanohara began the battle by charging and jumping on Joker.

The noirest reflected quickly and dodged the attack by jumping to the side, and he quickly pulled his gun out firing a bullet that hit the Shadow in its shoulder.

"ARGH...!"

"Persona!"

Joker called Agathion once more creating a powerful gust of wind that sent the Shadow flying few feet backward.  
He glared at Joker in a deadly way announcing that he officially became his target since he charged at him once more.

"Carmen!"

"Captain Kidd!"

Fire and thunder merged together in one powerful spell that flew towards Shadow Nakanohara which was barely able to dodge it but still sent him flying backward a bit.

"All right!" Skull gave Panther a high five.

"It's your time to shine, Zorro!"

Another powerful wind attack blew all over the room, but this time Shadow Nakanohara predicted it and swiftly dodged it much to Mona's shock.  
With a smirk on its face, the Shadow charged once more towards the big head of the Phantom Thieves; the leader and was jumping fast towards him.

But his attempted attack was interrupted by Flare who ran and stood in front of Joker giving him a powerful kick in its abdomen, then swung her foot once more delivering a mighty kick in the middle of its face causing it to fall down powerfully on the floor with a loud thud.

"Let me show you how it's done."

Flare walked confidently towards the Shadow which was wincing on the floor followed by the anticipated looks of her teammates.  
Her face was covered with blue flames causing her mask to disappear and Valkyrie appearing behind her back.

"Human beings are not puppets for you mess with!"

With that scream, Valkyrie shot thick layers of ice from her spear onto the Shadow's feet preventing him from standing to run away.

"Here's our chance! Do it!" Mona called.

Nodding with acknowledgment the entire group jumped at Shadow Nakanohara pulling their stylish and powerful All-Out Attack.  
With that, Shadow Nakanohara lost all of its stamina and was no longer able to keep fighting which caused it to revert back to its previous shape, sadness and regret visible on his face and eyes.

"I-I was wrong... please forgive me... that evil teacher used me, then threw me out on the street. That's what caused my fixation on her..." Shadow Nakanohara trailed sadly.

"Evil teacher?" Joker repeated.

"So... is this teacher that Madarame person you mentioned earlier?" Panther asked.

"Yeah... I just didn't want anyone to throw me out again..."

"So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too... still, you shouldn't have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess."

"Yes, I know that now. I'll put an end to my love for her..."

"........!" Flare's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"...Hey, you can change people's hearts, right? In that case... won't you change Madarame's heart?! Before more people fall victim to him..."

With a teary smile on his face, Shadow Nakanohara's body turned transparent and was surrounded with a white aura.  
Smiling once more to the group, he vanished in the air as beautiful and shiny white sparkles which was a sad and beautiful scene at the same time; a bittersweet one.

"Change... Madarame's heart?" Panther trailed shockingly.

"Hm? What's that shinin' thing?" Skull pointed at a cloud of shiny blue aura floating in the air.

"It's the bud of a Treasure. Had we left it be, it very well may have blossomed into a Palace. Joker, this will make a perfect reward!" Mona exclaimed.

"Got you!"

"So Nakanohara had a change of heart, right?" Skull crossed his arms behind his head.

"Most likely." Mona replied.

"But how are we supposed to know if we succeeded?" Panther tilted her head.

"The lady posted that dude's name online. If he really does change, she'll prolly comment again."

"Hm, you do have a point." Mona admitted.

"Either way, trainin' against Shadows down here's the best! It's great prep for our next target!"

"It's also nice to be able to give courage to the people who post their problems online." Panther chuckled.

"Courage..." Flare's lips muttered that word quietly.

"On top of that, we can sell whatever Treasure we get for some cold, hard cash!" Mona exclaimed.

"Sounds like things are goin' pretty great for us!" Skull grinned from ear to ear.

"Seems so." Joker smiled.

"...All right, we did it!" Skull laughed.

"I'll admit, it felt good after this." Flare pulled out the smallest satisfied smirk on her lips.

"Hell yeah, Flare!"

"Hold on. There's somewhere I want to show you guys before we leave." Mona added.

"What? There's more?" Skull asked.

"Don't worry, it won't take long." Mona jumped and began walking away.

"This better be interesting." Flare spoke while following the cat along with her teammates.

Along all the way, the Phantom Thieves kept throwing each other questionable and uncertain looks as Mona gave directions to Joker to drive the Monamobile.  
He mentioned that there was still something important to show them, but what it could be?  
The curiosity left them intrigued all the way.  
But much to their surprise, Mona led The Phantoms group to an isolated area with nothing in it but a dead end; a wall blocking their way.

That was really unexpected.

"...What is this place? It's kinda creepy." Panther said.

"And a dead end at that. Why's it even exist?" Skull asked.

"Is this the thing you wanted to show us? A wall?" Flare asked.

"Now hold on... just watch. This is most likely not an ordinary wall. If my hunch is correct..." Mona touched the wall and opened revealing a passage that went further down.

"It opened...!" Panther gasped.

 _ **"A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information."**_ The Metaverse Navigator said.

"See?! It's just as I thought!" Mona exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" The ash blonde-haired asked.

"That wall wouldn't budge when I came here by myself before. But it'd be weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn't it?"

"So you were thinkin' there's gotta be more?"

"Yeah! Now that Kamoshida's Palace is gone and people are actually starting to talk about us... I knew something had to have changed down here!"

"How deep is it? Should we try going further down?" Panther wondered.

"Let's not. That's not why we're here today, remember? We've already accomplished our goal. We should head back and I'll explain more once we're home."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Joker walked first ahead from the group with his usual firm and cool look on his face.  
Pulling his phone out, he activated the Meta Nav in order to return home after such a long and tiring day, but fruitful at the same time.

*******

_**\------The Real World: Shibuya Square------** _

The blur was finally gone from their eyes, and they scanned their surroundings to find themselves in Shibuya's station.  
Exhaustion filled their bodies, but they were satisfied nonetheless, but Mementos still raised many unanswered questions in their minds that needed to be answered.

"Mementos, huh...? I still don't really get that place. Oh, and what was that wall thing we saw at the end?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it blocked us from going in past a certain depth. If Mementos is the public's Palace though... it might be affected by the general public's belief in us." Morgana replied.

"Why do you know so much about it, Morgana?" Ann asked.

"My memories are a little foggy in that regard... however, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what." Morgana said looking very determined.

"No matter what...?"

"Mementos is not just everyone's Palace, it's the source of all Palaces. It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida's with one ruler simply didn't exist. So, if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I'm certain my appearance will...!"

"You wanted someone to save you too..."

"I-I just needed pawns." Morgana nearly freaked out.

"I see... so that's why you come pokin' your nose around with us." Ryuji said.

"...I'll help you. I hope you can regain what you've lost." Ann said.

 _"What's lost, huh..."_ Emiko thought to herself.

"I'll... be relying on you guys." Morgana eyed all the teenagers who were with him.

"It can't be helped I guess. I'm a part of the group now, after all." Emiko closed her eyes.

"By the way Morgana... are you a boy? Or might you be a girl?" Ann placed a finger on her chin.

"Definitely a boy I'd say." Ren fixed the position of his glasses.

"Yeah, I agree... I wanted to make sure though, just in case."

"He could turn out to be pretty ancient. What if he smells like an old person?" Ryuji grinned goofily.

"Stop that..." Mona trailed before saying "...In any case, of course I'm male! I mean, I..."

"...What is it?" Ann asked.

"No... it's nothing. We're done talking about that! Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice."

"There weren't any other outstanding ones though..."

"I bet we'll get tons of 'em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known. The big fish are our main targets after all." Ryuji added.

"First you need to find a way to get through our exams." Morgana reminded.

"I gotta study..." Ryuji lowered his head.

"You're going to fail after all." Emiko scoffed.

"Hey!"

The sound of the group's laughing, minus Emiko and Ryuji, rang in Shibuya's square at both Ryuji's dumbness and Emiko's boldness.  
It was really amusing seeing those two quarrel for the first time especially that they know each other for a very long time.  
The two childhood friends had a lot to catch up on for 3 years is not a short period at all, but that didn't stop them from quarreling for the old times' sake.  
But, little did they know that someone was watching them from a distance between the crowds of people walking in the square.

".......!" Suddenly, Emiko turned behind her with an alerted face.

"What's wrong?" Ren seemed to notice her.

"No, it's nothing."

".........." But Ren wasn't convinced.

"I'll be honest." The brown-haired eyed the ravenette carefully "Defeating Nakanohara's Shadow wasn't actually that bad. It felt good and satisfying in the end."

Emiko pulled a satisfied smirk on her face while closing her eyes.  
She turned her back away from the group and attempted to walk away by taking few steps forward, but she stopped her tracks looking at Ren from the corner of her eyes and the smirk never left her face.

"I look forward to what the Phantom Thieves still can give me, _**Ren**_."

".........!"

Between the shocked gasps and the wide eyes of her new teammates, Emiko made her way away from them while still smirking to herself.  
It was indeed something shocking for the others hearing the thick-headed girl call Ren by his first name on her own and out of the blues; it was something they really didn't see coming.  
She was confident and determined at the same time, and it felt so _**damn**_ good to her.

On the other hand, Ren's lips were slightly agape, but he soon curved them up to a smirk of his own watching the new recruit walking away also feeling confident and challenged.  
Ryuji, Morgana, and Ann looked at him with puzzled expressions on their faces wondering where that smirk even came from in the first place.  
Not only that, but the way his first name rolled out from her tongue felt... intriguing.

 _"Ren Amamiya..."_ Emiko thought to herself.

 _"Emiko Hayashi..."_ Ren was doing the same too.

_"You and me..."_

_"Let this game..."_  


 

 

 

 

**"ʙᴇɢɪɴ!"**

  
*******

_**\------Night: Leblanc's Attic------** _

At that moment, Ren didn't want anything more than good night sleep.  
His body felt heavy and even a little bit sore due to the aftermath of the battle against Shadow Nakanohara.  
Morgana was the same too and felt a strong urge to sleep after jumping on the comfy bed as Ren almost immediately collapsed on his bed staring at the ceiling above him.  
His mind was already preoccupied with so many questions about Mementos, but more importantly...

Madarame; the name that Shadow Nakanohara mentioned.

"Mementos, huh? What a strange place full of mysteries..." Ren mumbled to himself.

The noirest pulled his phone out of his pocket scrolling through his messages and missed calls logs yet again with disappointed and sad eyes.  
Taking a deep breath, he went to the contacts icon on the homepage searching for a specific number.  
His finger twitched in hesitation thinking whether he should or not call that number he selected.

"Hm...?" Morgana's interest was piqued and stole a peek " **'Mom'**?"

"A-Ah, Morgana! What are you doing?"

"You were going to call your mom, right? Thinking of that... I didn't see you contacting them ever since I came here. They didn't call you?"

"No..."

"Why don't you call her then?"

"I can't..."

"I see..."

Morgana felt guilty and looked down sadly realizing that he touched a sensitive topic.  
Ren never spoke about his parents to anyone for as much as Morgana knew, and that made him a little sad. He really wanted from Ren to open up more to him about his personal issues, but he thought that Ren wasn't ready for that just yet. After all, what he's been through wasn't easy at all.  
What saved the awkwardness of the situation was the sound of Ren's phone buzzing and picking it up, it was Ryuji who sent an IM on the group chat.

_Ryuji: Man, that Nakanohara guy was a piece of cake!_

_Ryuji: And you totally kicked ass there, Mikki!_

_Ann: Mm-hm, I agree. You were really amazing._

_Emiko: I didn't choose my code name over anything, you know._

_Ryuji: If we can take down some kinda big target next, we're totally gonna get famous._

_Ann: Hey! We're trying to help people, not get famous!_

_Ryuji: But if people don't know who we are, how're we gonna give them any courage?_

_Ren: Are you sure about that, Ryuji?_

_Ryuji: Am I wrong?_

_Emiko: I don't think we're the ones you should ask._

_Ann: I don't think you're necessarily wrong..._

_Ann: But should we really be doing this at all if we don't have a reason like with Kamoshida?_

_Ryuji: You mean we shouldn't be sticking our noses into other people's business?_

_Emiko: What do you think?_

_Ryuji: I dunno, man. If someone's in trouble, it's only natural to wanna help 'em out!_

_Ann: I mean, I agree with that._

_Ann: And I guess I was glad we were able to solve that stalker case._

_Ryuji: Plus, what good are our Personas if we don't use 'em for good?_

_Ryuji: Don't you agree, Renren?_

_Ren: Definitely. I want to help people too._

_Ann: The same goes for me._

_Emiko: ...Renren?_

_Ren: Well, that's..._

_Ryuji: Pretty cool nickname, eh?_

_Emiko: I guess...?_

_Ryuji: We don't got much time to be arguing over this either. That Madarame guy bothers me._

_Ann: Yeah. But no getting carried away, you understand?_

_Emiko: I feel like I've heard that name before..._

_Ann: And don't do anything to stand out like fail all your exams._

_Ryuji: Oh crap! Speaking of that, I haven't studied at all..._

_Emiko: Why am I not surprised?_

"Is it Ryuji? Did he mention anything about Mementos? If there's anything you want to know, I can tell you." Morgana offered.

"Thanks, but I'm good for now."

"By the way... you can tell me whatever's bothering you. You'll feel much better once you do. I'll be listening to whatever you say. Remember, we're a team now so you're not alone anymore."

"I appreciate it, Morgana. I really do." Ren smiled sadly as he stroked the cat's head gently.

_"Only if I could..."_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAN!!! MY FINGERS ARE ALL SORE!!! DXXX
> 
> But, man... finals are finally over, and I'm back with a loud bang!!! Freedom sure tastes really good~
> 
> AND EMIKO FINALLY JOINED THE PHANTOM THIEVES!!! FUCKKKKKK YEEAAAAHHHH, BABY!!!
> 
> Ho ho ho, am I sensing a rivalry growing between Ren and Emiko?
> 
> Finally, this is one of the first levels of the development of their relationship.
> 
> Did you like the chapter?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Tue/July 2/2019
> 
> Rand Out!👊


	15. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aspiring artist finally makes his debut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem! PRETTY BOIIIIIII IS FINALLY HERE!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!  
> ONTO THE CHAPTER NOW!!!

 

_**\------Time Skip------** _

_**May 14/20XX** _

Days just ran by very quickly without noticing at all, so the teenagers found themselves already facing the first day of the exams.   
It seemed though as if the only two who actually took it seriously and studied well for it were Ren and Emiko.   
But before the finals started, Ryuji had called his best bud desperately asking for his help to study, and it appeared that even for Ryuji studying with someone can, in fact, be more fun and less dull and boring.   
Ren doubted that his help will be beneficial at all, but he crossed his fingers and hoped for the best.

On the first day in May 11 they had biology in which it was a no brainer for the two dark-haired thieves, then on May 12 it was history and English in which Emiko felt herself doing more than excellent since English was secretly her most favorite subject of all time, after that on May 13 it was social studies and math making Ren doing better than the brown-haired since he had a more analytical brain than her.

After those three hellish days, the final day of the mid-terms finally came which was on May 14, and on that day all the four students agreed to meet each other in the train station before heading to school.   
Ren was first to arrive like usual, so he pulled his phone out scrolling through few pages online to pass the time hoping that the others won't be very late.   
His attention was caught when he heard a familiar cheerful voice speaking rather loudly and enthusiastically and when he turned his face to see, it was none other than Ryuji along with his childhood friend who seemed like she was done with life.   
The noirest waved to them while smiling softly as they approached him.

"So sleepy..." Ryuji yawned "I ended up pullin' an all-nighter once realized today's the last day of exams."

"You? Staying up studying?" Morgana asked astonishingly.

"Nah, I gave up on the exam. I was playin' some games, then before I knew it, it was morning." Ryuji said.

"Figures... what's expected from an idiot?" Emiko closed her eyes while crossing her arms.

"You're failing for sure, Ryuji." Ren fixed the position of his glasses.

"Eh, it'll be fine. Nobody's expectin' anything of me, so I don't gotta worry about grades." Ryuji waved it off.

"What about you, Emiko? How are you doing so far?" It was the first time Ren had ever called her by her first name, so it felt a little... weird.

"Does that even matter?"

"I was just asking..."

"Listen..." Morgana started "Since you're now a member of the Phantom Thieves, you need to work more to blend in between us since you're not alone anymore but a part of a group, and that means you need to work on this attitude of yours. Understood?"

"........."

Much to the others' surprise, it was the first time for them that someone was able to verbally overpower Emiko driving her to silence.   
It seemed as if Ren and Ryuji couldn't believe what had just happened which made them look shockingly to the cat who was smiling proudly to himself.  
Morgana felt like he just achieved something amazing which is drawing the boundary to this girl and even made her unable to reply to him anymore, and that alone was indeed something to be proud of.

"Morning..." Ann approached the group whine yawning and having a tired look on her face as if she stayed up all night.

"Yo, look who else is yawnin'." Ryuji's face lit up at Ann's presence.

"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line."

"Impressive, Lady Ann. You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know."

"Huh? Don't gimme that crap. Your brain's tiny compared to mine." Ryuji looked offended.

"Size is meaningless if there's nothing inside, you know." Morgana added.

"What was that?!"

"Ugh, will you please shut up?! You're gonna make me forget everything I memo--" Ann got interrupted.

"You two... are very loud."

All of a sudden there was a purplish dark aura surrounding Emiko and her eyes were entirely colored in red.   
In an instant, she looked a lot bigger than everyone else as they looked like ants compared to her.   
Her voice had a dark and threatening tone in it as she cracked her knuckles which made it very clear that things will get ugly if she was angrier than she already is.   
Those demonic and evil looks of hers were enough to send shivers down Ryuji, Morgana, and Ren's spines since they gulped down audibly.

"S-Scary..." Ryuji muttered as he shivered.

".......?! Am I imagining things...?" Ann scanned her surroundings feeling like she was being watched.

"Is there something wrong, Ann?" Ren asked the girl.

"What, you see a groper or something?" Ryuji itched his nose.

"No, that's not it. It's... nothing." The ash blonde-haired shook her head.

"........." Morgana looked troubled.

"........." Even Emiko narrowed her eyes feeling that something fishy was going on.

The train ride wasn't anywhere near peaceful since all the ride, because the entire time Ann felt like there were two eyes watching her among the crowd in the train.   
During that ride, she couldn't stop feeling anxious and worried as she kept looking behind her with cold sweats rolling down her face.   
Ryuji noticed that himself and tried asking her many times, but she kept denying it saying it was nothing, but Emiko had another opinion since she kept a suspicious look on her face while looking around her and through the crowd.

She still felt uneasy looking around her even when the train reached its destination with the speakers announcing  _ **'Aoyama-Itchome! Aoyama-Itchome!'**_  and the four high schoolers stepping outside of the train and heading up to the escalator.  
However, someone unknown was following them all around and even went up to the escalator themselves while keeping their distance from the group, but even though Ann noticed that which made the terror grow on her face.

"Oh my god, that guy got off!" Ann yelped noticing the stalker before looking at her friends "Isn't this bad...?"

Then all of a sudden, Ryuji started yawning loudly while stretching his arms up high acting like the carefree boy he was.   
It was very typical behavior from Ryuji, but even with that, Ann and Emiko couldn't help themselves but draw bored comical expressions on their faces knowing that it wasn't new for him to act like this.

"Hey! At least act like you care!" Ann scolded the blonde-haired.

"Fine..." Ryuji sighed while scratching his head before walking up the escalator "Come on."

Dumbfounded for a moment, Ann followed Ryuji up knowing that he might not be the smartest person she knew, but she felt for certain like she could trust him and by the way he spoke and acted, it seemed like he knew exactly what he was thinking.

On the other hand, Ren and Emiko exchanged questionable looks between each other not having the slightest clue on what Ryuji had in mind but decided to roll with it, so they followed the two blonde-haired teenagers up ready to hear the plan from Ryuji.

Ann was not entirely sure about the whole fan as Ryuji was explaining it to them on their way up on the escalator.   
Sure it was simple enough, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was worried and anxious about all this.   
Once she reached out from the station, she stood all alone outside and shifting her gaze there and there looking left and right feeling this anxiety and uneasiness taking over her.   
Soon enough, footsteps were become clearer to her with each second passing as the unknown stalker was climbing the stairs up but paused for a moment before continuing his way towards the poor girl.

She was still standing there by herself not moving a single muscle of her body with her back facing him.   
And just when the stalker was approaching her and thought he reached her, Ann turned her back to face the guy when Ren, Ryuji, and Emiko came out from nowhere like they were expecting him to come and stood in a protective way in front of her; a simple yet perfect ambush.

  
The stalker had dark blue hair with parted bangs slightly covering his left eye and gray eyes. His outfits were a mandarin collared white dress shirt embroidered with a fleur-de-lis, fitted black pants, and black loafers.   
He clearly wasn't a Shujin student.

  
"........?" The unforeseen boy had a questioned look on his face as a lock of his dark blue hair fell from its place.

Everyone who was present looked at that guy with skeptical eyes before scanning him up and down from head to toe before looking back at Ann who was still dumbfounded from this rather unexpected outcome.

"Who are you?" Ren asked him casually.

"Beautiful." That was the only word that escaped his mouth as Ann's reflection showed in his pupils.

"Huh?!" The ash blonde-haired dumbfounded.

"Hey, uh... are you sure it's him? Or you are just that self-conscious?" Ryuji looked the ash blonde-haired.

"Rgh, I'm not that--" Ann was going to yell at Ryuji's face embarrassingly while blushing.

"Is there something you want?" The unforeseen boy spoke.

"Grrr..." Ann gritted her teeth in frustration before shoving her friends and walking towards him pointing her finger "That's my line! You were the one stalking me!"

"Stalking you...? That's outrageous." The unforeseen boy commented while tucking the fallen lock back.

"I know you've been following me! Ever since the train!" 

"That's because..."

The unforeseen boy trailed about to defend himself in front of Ann and the others, but he didn't have the chance to finish what he was going to say since a car's horn kicked in.   
A black car stopped near the teenagers before its window lowered down revealing an elderly man with long grey hair tied in a ponytail and he had short facial hair and wore traditional Japanese clothes.

"My goodness... I had wondered why you left the car. So this is where your passion led. All is well that ends well. Hahahahaha..." The old man laughed.

"I saw you from the car... and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei... but thank goodness, I caught up to you." The unforeseen boy had a relieved smile on his face.

"OK..." Ann trailed awkwardly while sweatdropping.

"What?" Ryuji scratched the back of his head.

"Ever since I first saw her days ago, I couldn't take my eyes off her. She stole my heart." He pointed at Ann.

".........!" Emiko widened her eyes ever so slightly.

"Eh?" Ann was taken aback by his sentence which caused her to blush in embarrassment.

"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you--" The unforeseen boy was about to say.

"Are you for real?" Ryuji interrupted him.

"W-Wait a minute, I--" Ann was strutted embarrassingly and turned to a blushing mess.

"--Be the model for my next art piece?"

"Huh?" All the four drew blank comical expressions on their faces. (._.)

"...Model?" Ann repeated.

"All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else." The unforeseen boy added.

"This man's highly suspicious." Morgana spoke angrily.

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji turned to Ann whispering uncomfortably.

"Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" The unforeseen boy asked Ann desperately.

"Hold your horses! Who're you anyways?" Ryuji asked angrily while standing in front of Ann protectively.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." Yusuke said as shoving Ryuji away from him walking to Ann "I'm Madarame-Sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm starving to become an artist!"

"Huh!? Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on  **'Good Morning Japan'**  the other day?" Ann widened her eyes.

"The very same."

"You know who that is?" Ryuji asked the ash blonde-haired.

"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world. But we heard that name the other day in Mementos..." Ann muttered the last sentence as everyone looked at Madarame who was in the car.

"Yusuke!" Madarame called.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there!" Yusuke said.

"That old guy's Madarame...?" Ryuji trailed.

"Ichiryusai Madarame, huh..." Emiko muttered that word quietly to herself as the light shone on her glasses' lenses.

Yusuke walked closer towards Ann saying "Madarame-Sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on the opening day. Please come by. It'd be great if you could give me your answer in regard to begin a model then..."

"I bet you have no interest in fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too." Yusuke frowned at Ryuji, Ren, and Emiko before giving the tickets to Ann "Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow!"

With that said, Yusuke waved at Ann while smiling sweetly and warmly to her before getting into the black car that drove away as Morgana poked his tongue out from his mouth towards the walking vehicle.   
The three teenagers were still a little dumbfounded with what just happened, except for Emiko who had a dark and unreadable expression on her face while looking at Ann.   
After hearing Yusuke's words towards Ann, she felt something ugly eating her from inside out.

"That guy's as easy to read as a book... you're not plannin' on goin', are you?" Ryuji frowned while asking Ann.

"...I think I will." Ann admitted.

"WHAT?!" Ryuji was beyond just shocked.

"Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later." Ann looked at her phone before running away.

"How dare he go after Lady Ann... I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!" Morgana growled.

".......?" All of a sudden, Ren shifted his gaze at Emiko to see her in rather a worrying state.

Her fists were balled and her arms were twitching from how much she was clenching them.  
Her teeth were gritting against each other hard as her brown bangs were shadowing her face until her nose, so no clear facial expression could be pinpointed from her.

"Emiko... are you all right?" Ren hesitated to ask.

"Huh, Mikki? Why do you look so angry like this?"

"I'm fine, OK?" She shoved the two boys away from her way before walking away from them very quickly.

"Dude, what the hell's wrong with her...?" Ryuji trailed.

"Beats me..." Morgana sighed hopelessly.

"........." Ren couldn't stop himself from starting to feel worried about her.

While walking away towards the school, Emiko kept having her head lowered down, teeth clenched, hands in her black blazer's pockets, and face shadowed by her hair.

_"Of course he'd ask Ann to be his model and call her beautiful."_

_"It's always been like this... ever since middle school."_

_"Why not me? Why?! What's the problem with how I look?!"_

*******

**_\------After School: Subway Station------_ **

The battle of the finals was finally over since that was the last day of the exams.   
The young students couldn't feel any less happy when they delivered their test papers to their teachers before heading out of the school.   
Finally, they decided to meet in the subway station after school and they all looked beat and tired like they've just returned from a battle.

"Mmmmmm, it's over!" Ann exclaimed while stretching her arms.

"It's over..." both of Ryuji and Ren sighed at the same time.

"C'mon, you two need to get your act together." Ann said.

"How 'bout you, Mikki...?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Are you feelin' OK now?"

"...Yeah."

"Anyways, can we stop talkin' about the exams? Like it or not, they're gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with..." Ryuji pulled his phone out looking at something.

"What're you looking at?" Ann questioned.

"The usual site." Ryuji nodded "...It's no use. There ain't any useful info. The number of posts are gettin' less and less too..." Ryuji sighed in disappointment as putting his phone back to his pocket.

"I am not letting this end as a one-hit wonder, OK?" Morgana spoke seriously.

"There's no point in getting antsy though." Ann added "I know! Why don't we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money left over the other day."

"That... doesn't actually sound really bad." Emiko admitted.

"I want sushi then! Or domestic-raised eel!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"We don't have THAT much left." Ann reminded "Oh right! There are those tickets to Madarame's exhibit! ...Wait, that's tomorrow."

"Don't tell me. Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy...?" Morgana was about to freak out.

"It's not like that." Ann shook her head.

"O-Of course not." Morgana sighed in relief.

"Poser!" Ryuji mocked Ann.

"Shut up!" Ann leaned her face closer towards the blonde-haired.

"When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we've got free tickets. Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos." Ann narrowed her eyes.

"...Madarame, was it?" Ryuji asked.

"Hrmm..." Morgana trailed.

"Madarame..." Ren mumbled to himself.

"You're thinking about him too, aren't you?" Suddenly, Emiko asked Ren seriously.

"Eh?"

"Madarame, I mean."

"Yeah."

"I knew it... it's troubling me too."

"That aside, what should I do about the other three tickets? Want to go appreciate some fine arts for once?" Ann wondered with a joyous smile.

"Fine arts, huh..." Ryuji crossed his arms.

"I suggest, we should all go together! Appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame." Morgana said happily.

"Well, if everyone's going..." Ryuji trailed.

"It's settled then! It'd be worth it once in a while! Sounds like it'll be useful for Phantom Thieves too, you know? It's decided then! We're going. Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow." Ann said cheerfully.

"I hate you all." Emiko blurted that out of blues. 

*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------** _

"Tomorrow we go to that exhibit with Lady Ann. I'm curious to know if this Madarame has anything to do with the name we heard in Mementos... whatever the case may be, we can't be late. Better get to bed early!"

Ren chuckled to himself at the cat's words before throwing his ached body down on the bed and closing his eyes to enjoy some peace and quiet now that the exams are finally over and done with.   
But that peace didn't last long since his phone buzzed announcing the beginning of a new group chat.

_Ann: So I keep thinking about what Nakanohara said..._

_Ann: Could he have been talking about the famous artist Madarame?_

_Ren: That sounds about right._

_Emiko: Yeah, maybe._

_Ryuji: Seconded._

_Ann: Great. The name really stood out to me..._

_Ryuji: Yeah I mean, you guys heard of someone else called Madarame?_

_Ann: It's really not common at all._

_Ann: If what we heard is true, Kitagawa-Kun is studying under a corrupt teacher._

_Ryuji: You mean a teacher who treats people like tools._

_Emiko: That would be the case, yes._

_Ann: Kitagawa-Kun's life probably pretty terrible..._

_Ryuji: We gotta look into this._

"We're going to the exhibition tomorrow, right? Don't oversleep!  **'Ichiryusai Madarame: An Infinite Font of Ideals,'**  huh...? I read the blurb on the ticket, but it seems that this Madarame is actually an amazing artist... Some of his pieces might be worth looking at, after all..." Morgana smiled at himself.

Even though Ren nodded, his mind was already preoccupied with what happened today earlier; Emiko's dark facial expression that is.   
He was indeed bothered by the way she looked like and acted after that boy Yusuke talked with Ann and left.   
Ren wondered about what could possibly have bothered her that much but as he was thinking about that, he drifted into sleep.

*******

_**\------The Next Day: The Exhibit------** _

It was Sunday, May 15; the first day of Madarame's exhibition. The entire group met at the exhibition's entrance like they agreed on, and luckily none of them was late at all, even Ryuji. They showed up wearing their normal and everyday winter clothes since it was weekend, after all.   
And of course, Ryuji would be the least one interested by all this since he had a bored facial expression while shoving his hands into his purple jacket's pockets.   
Despite that, Emiko's eyes wandered left and right looking dazzled by all this since her eyes sparkled ever so slightly, but tended to hide it when she faced the group again. 

"So crowded..." Morgana stated.

"It'll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you, so don't stick your head out too much, all right?" Ryuji reminded Morgana as he hid back inside the bag.

"You came!" Yusuke approached the group looking happy upon seeing Ann.

"Um... yeah. H-Hello." Ann trailed awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, and you are?" Yusuke seemed like he just noticed Emiko for the first time.

She felt as if an arrow was shot right in the middle of her heart, but she shoved it off by shaking her head and saying "Never mind me. I'm just a classmate of Ann."

"You really came." Yusuke's voice and expression were entirely changed to much harder ones upon seeing the two boys.

"What'd you expect when you left us those tickets?!" Ryuji folded his arms.

"Make sure that you don't get in the way of the other visitors." Yusuke reminded before looking at "Come now. I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too."

"Well, see you guys later." Ann said before leaving with Yusuke.

"Will Lady Ann be all right?! What if he drags her behind some painting and tries something funny?" Morgana was about to freak out before sticking his tongue out again to the direction where Yusuke left with Ann.

"I told you not to come out!" Ryuji whisper-shouted at the cat who hid again.

"Are we gonna  **'appreciate'**  the fine arts? Can't we just go home?" Ryuji complained obviously uninterested in the whole thing.

"We should learn about Madarame." Ren stated.

"I guess we should do a quick pass through it once... uh... which way are we supposed to start?" Ryuji sighed in defeat while walking.

"I'm curious about something." Ren blurted out.

"You're not alone." Emiko glanced at him.

"Hm? It's that old man from the other day." Ryuji suddenly stopped her tracks. 

He pointed at Madarame who had a warm smile on his face standing in a spot in the exhibit, and he was being interviewed by the media as countless people were surrounding him with admired looks in their eyes and never-ending murmurs.

"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination. You have such expansive styles, it's hard to believe that it all stems from one person... where in the world does all your inspiration come from?" The interviewer asked Madarame.

"Well... it is rather difficult to put into words... they naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in a spring."

"Naturally, you say?"

"What's important is to distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame. My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty."

"A shack?" Ren questioned himself.

"Hm..." Emiko held her chin.

"I see... so the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty. Still, to think we could hear the word  **'shack'**  coming from the great artist Madarame."

"You would understand if you saw it. Hahahahaha..."

"Wasn't the word  **'shack'** something..." Ryuji was interrupted.

"Madarame-San is actually here?!"

"Over there!"

"I'm so glad I came on opening day!"

After all, tens of people rushed towards Madarame surrounding him so they can get a better look at him, but they were so many as if almost every person who attended the exhibit rushed towards that one particular spot, but they also ended up crushing the teenagers who were standing there and nearly suffocating them to death. 

"Hey, stop pushin'...! There's way too many people!" Ryuji was choking.

"I'm getting crushed..." Morgana was about to die.

"Anyways, we gotta head for the exit! Don't die on us, all right?!"

Thankfully, Emiko was able to flee the scene before people came rushing to them since she kinda saw that coming when she first heard them gawking and squealing.   
She had a troubled expression on her face and let a deep, long distressed sigh escape her lips while rubbing the back of her head.   
This whole situation was a little pain in the ass for her, but she took the opportunity to wander around and examine few paintings of her own before she could recruit with the boys, after all, it was the first time she ever went to an art exhibition, so her interest was piqued.

At first, she wandered around there and there aimlessly taking few glances of random paintings along the way and listening to people talking meaningless gibberish jabber among themselves.   
But as she was walking, a certain painting caught her attention which made her stop her tracks to look at it. It was basically one big vortex of very dark colors mixed with each other.   
Sure it looked simple, but something about it... intrigued her.   
It symbolized agony, distress, anger, and despair and as she was looking at it, voices filled her ears as a memory flashed right in front of her eyes.

_**"A-a-a-a-a...!"** _

_**"What... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"** _

_**"A-a-a... AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"** _

"Aaaahhhh...!" That scream escaped her lungs.

Of course, she caught the attention of people standing around her and looked at her with eyes filled with curiosity due to her sudden scream. Her skin went pale, sweat dripping down, eyes and jaw wide open, breath hitching, and heart beating fast.   
She couldn't take that rush of emotions and felt like she was about to crack, so she had no other choice but to run away from the eyes that were following her. 

On the other hand and not too far from her, Ann and Yusuke were examining art pieces together.   
Her eyes absolutely admired every painting Yusuke was showing her since they were sparkling with joy and excitement much to his delight.

"I didn't know there were so many types of Japanese art." Ann looked quite amazed.

"Usually one concentrates on their own style. However, Sensei creates all this by himself. He's special."

"There you are, Yusuke." Suddenly, Madarame approached them.

"Sensei!" Yusuke got alerted.

"Ah, the girl from yesterday. Are you enjoying the exhibit?" 

"I don't know how to put it into words... but It's really amazing."

"You're sensing something from the artwork... that alone is enough to give us artists satisfaction. I hope this becomes a wonderful piece, Yusuke. Well then, if you'll excuse me." Madarame excused himself before leaving.

"You'd imagine artists would be difficult to approach... but he seems really friendly." Ann smiled heartedly.

"Indeed."

"Oh, this is it--the painting I wanted to see in person." Ann pointed at a painting that consisted of drawn trees of many shapes and colors.

"...This one?" 

"I guess it's the painter's anger? I'm not sure, but I sense this... strong frustration from it. To think such a cheerful and gentlemanly person could make such a piece..."

"........" Yusuke stayed quiet looking pretty upset.

"Something wrong?"

"Don't mind me. There are better pieces than... this one. Come now, this way!" He started walking away.

"H-Hey...!" Ann gasped before following him.

"Hm...?" Yusuke noticed a brown-haired girl running away with tears filling her eyes before mumbling to himself "Wasn't that Takamaki-San's friend...?"

*******

The sound of water running out from the tap filled the bathroom and followed by splashing. Emiko's shaky fingers moved towards the tap to turn it off as the room fell into utter silence.  
The only sound that can be heard is the sound of water dripping down from her face and hair into the sink.   
Her arms were trembling as she held the sides of the porcelain sink and staring at her reflection in the mirror.   
She already took her glasses off but looked like an absolute mess since her face was still pale and her eyes looked tired and dull.

"I can't... I can't take it anymore." Her voice trembled "For how long do I have to keep this act...?"

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I WANT IT TO STOP!"

She couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face nor the loud sniffles she made and even though she tried covering her face, she still cried and hiccuped really badly.

"What should I do...?" She sniffed.

 _ **"Since you're now a member of the Phantom Thieves, you need to work more to blend in between us since you're not alone anymore but a part of a group, and that means you need to work on this attitude of yours. Understood?"**_ She recalled Morgana's words.

"Only if I could..." She chuckled sadly "I can't... let anyone know... who I really am."

*******

_**\------Evening: Shibuya's Passageway------** _

After he brown-haired calmed down, she already regrouped with the two boys near the exit of the exhibit and they all went to Shibuya's passageway, and yet it was already evening and dark.

"That old lady totally elbowed me..." Ryuji whined "...But thanks to that, I remember now."

"What about Ann?" Ren asked.

"Let's not worry about it for now... It's about a post online."

"What post?" Emiko asked.

"...Here, look at this." Ryuji pulled his phone out when the girl came.

"Why'd you leave without me?!" Ann approached the group asking angrily.

"You got it all wrong: we got dragged into this huge crowd and--" Ryuji paused shrugging his shoulders "...Eh, anyways. You gotta look at this too. This post might be about Madarame." Ryuji showed the post to her.

"What's it say?" The ash blonde-haired asked.

" **'A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupils' work. Only his public face is shown on TV.'** " Ryuji read the post.

"Plagiarizing?!" Ann gasped in shock.

"...What?" Emiko's eyes widened.

"I didn't think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing **'shack'** and  **'Madarame'**  triggered it." Ryuji started reading the post " **'His treatment of the pupils who live with his is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely as if disciplining a dog...'** "

"Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm...?" Morgana trailed.

"If this is real, it'll be a huge scandal." Ryuji exclaimed.

"Think about it though. He's in the limelight which would make it dangerous for us." Morgana reminded.

"I know!" Ryuji protested.

"Do you really?"

"I wonder if Kitagawa-Kun posted this. I mean, he IS a pupil of his." Ann added.

"Who knows? It's anonymous and all..." Ryuji mumbled.

"In that case... it's possible that the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one." Morgana said.

"So what should we do?" Ann asked the noirest.

"We should first confirm whether or not it's true." Ren replied.

"Is it really like how I thought it would be...?" Mikki held her chin.

"A man like that doing such a thing...? I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this. Oh, actually we just need to talk to him in reality." Ann remembered.

"And how do we go about that? Are we gonna explain it all, startin' with Mementos?" Ryuji asked.

"Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there's the possibility that Madarame will find out." Morgana said.

"Oh... yeah, right...." Ann trailed.

"Hey, what do you think about Madarame? Doesn't he seem suspicious?" Ryuji asked Ren.

"He does." Ren nodded.

"........" Emiko was deep in thought.

"I know, right? This all fits way too well to just be a coincidence. If this post is legit, ain't this the kinda target we've been waitin' for?" Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"Well, yeah, but... is it really true...?" Ann asked while looking down.

"By the way, what'd you do about the whole modeling thing?" Ryuji asked.

"Kitagawa-Kun gave me his contact info. And, the address to his sensei's atelier." Ann replied.

"He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing. Let's try goin' tomorrow. We're off to Madarame's house right after school!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Huh? You want me to model tomorrow?!" Ann gasped "This is too sudden..."

"What? We're just gonna talk to Kitagawa." Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Oh, that's what you meant..." Ann trailed.

"Hm..." Emiko still looked like she had something in mind.

*******

_**\-------The Next Day: On Train-----** _ _**-** _

The school day ended much faster than anticipated and before even knowing it, the thieves found themselves meeting up near the entrance and heading to the train station together so they can go to the address given to Ann by Yusuke.   
The ash blonde-haired was still a little bit nervous about all this but tried her best not to show that since they had to make sure whether the info in that post were real or not.   
She hoped not...

"Phantom thieves goin' by train... this ain't any different from how I get home from school, y'know." Ryuji complained.

"The train is the fastest way to go. Plus, we can bring pets on here." Ann explained calmly.

"Hey, who're you calling a pet?!" Morgana snapped looking offended.

"Dude, be quiet! We didn't pay the pet fare." Ryuji whisper-shouted.

"I'm the one guiding you to your destination! You should be calling me  **'Master'**!" Morgana argued.

"Ssssshhh!" Emiko tried to shush the cat.

"Ooh, kitty!" An innocent little girl approached the group happily.

"Er, shoot...!" Ann mumbled.

"Is that your pet, Mister? I heard it meowing!" The innocent girl spoke happily.

"Actually, It's just a stuffed animal." Ren laughed nervously.

"Yeah, it's just s toy. It meows when you press on its head." Ann smiled.

And Emiko just facepalmed her forehead.

"You heard her, Ren. Press on its head." Ryuji told his buddy.

"This is ridic--" Morgana was about to say.

"Sorry, Morgana..." Ren whispered before pressing gently on Morgana's head.

"M-Mewww..." Morgana mowed annoyingly.

"Wowweeeee! Again! Again!" The innocent girl jumped.

"Time to button mash!" Ren went rampage on pressing Morgana's head.

"Mew... meowowowowowowowow!" Morgana seemed to be in great pain "...Blerghhh!"

"Ahaha, that's so funny! I wanna hear it again!" The innocent girl laughed.

"I just threw up in my mouth..." Morgana trailed.

"Seriously...?" Ryuji sweatdropped.

"Ew." Emiko commented blankly.

"The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side." The train announcement said.

"Oh, this is our stop! Well, see you later! Bye bye!" Ann smiled nervously at the girl.

"Mm-hm! Bye bye!" The girl skipped her way back to where she was originally sitting.

"I hate you all." Emiko blurted out of blue.

*******

**_\------Madarame's House------_ **

The Phantom Thieves finally reached Madarame's house, but much to their shock it looked really old and shabby as well to their surprise. It was indeed nothing like from what they expected at all which left them in a state of surprise having cold sweats rolling own their faces.  
They expected that a great and known artist like Madarame would live in a big and fancy house, but the sight before them told a whole different story and even when Ryuji and Ren heard the word  **'shack,'**  they didn't expect it to be  _that_  bad.

"Is... that it?" Ryuji asked uncertainly if that's the right place.

"I-I'm not sure..." Even Emiko was speechless.

"We're at the right address... the door plate does say  **'Madarame.'** " Ann pointed.

"Uhhhh... You ring the bell." Ryuji told Ann.

"Me?! The walls won't collapse when I do, will they...?"

"No one sneezes or we'll blow this house down, OK?" Morgana joked as they walked towards the entrance.

"Ann." Ren called calmly.

"R-Right." Ann gulped before ringing the doorbell.

It wasn't long before Yusuke's voice came out from the intercom.

"Who is it? Sensei is currently--"

"Um, it's Takamaki."

"I'll be right out!"

"People really do live here..." Ryuji whispered as a certain dark blue-haired young artist opened the door.

"Takamaki-Sa--" Yusuke paused when he saw the boys.

"...You two are here, as well?" Yusuke frowned.

"That sure escalated fast." Emiko commented.

"Sorry to disappoint." Ryuji raised his hand.

"I don't recall inviting you."

"U-Um, actually..." Ann tried to talk.

"Hey. Sorry, but we ain't here to talk about the modeling thing. There's somethin' we gotta ask you. Is it true Madarame's plagiarizin' stuff? He's abusing people too, yeah?"

"Are you serious?" Yusuke glared at the blonde-haired.

"We read about it online." Ryuji showed the post to the dark blue-haired.

"This...?" Yusuke read the post before laughing hysterically "Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? If he hated children so much to harm them, he would never allow pupils into his home! And I'm doing the one residing here and studying under him. I'm saying it's not true, so it's beyond doubt." Yusuke's voice became really defensive.

"You might be lying about it!" Ryuji argued.

"That..." Yusuke trailed "...That is utter rubbish. I had no family when Sensei took me in and raised me into what you see now! If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!" He yelled aggressively.

"...You really think that?" Ann narrowed her eyes.

"Kitagawa, stop lying to yourself!" Emiko yelled out of blues.

"Huh...?" Ann looked at her shockingly.

"Mikki?"

"It's no use lying about this to yourself anymore! I can see it, your life is filled with pain and suffering... I've lived in that pain myself for too long so I recognize it when I see it. Am I right or not, Kitagawa?"

"You..." Yusuke trailed.

"........!" Ren's mouth was slightly agape since he never expected such a reaction from the brown-haired.

"Yusuke?" Madarame just came upon hearing the argument "What's the matter? I heard you yelling."

"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!"

"Rumors?" Madarame looked at Ryuji causing him to gulp nervously.

"...Forgive them, Yusuke."

"Eh?!" The group dumbfounded.

"They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety."

"...Understood, Sensei."

"Well, even I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone."

"That's not what we meant..." Ann shook her head.

"But Yusuke has done nothing wrong. Would you look upon him favorably? I beg of you." Madarame suddenly bowed in front of the group.

"Huh?!" All the four were taken aback at Madarame's unexpected action.

"Please stop, Sensei! You don't have to..." Yusuke placed his arms on his Sensei's shoulders before standing up.

"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around. Won't you please keep it down? Now, if you'll excuse me." Madarame excused himself before walking inside the house.

"That was discourteous of me... I'm sorry." Yusuke bowed.

"Huh...?" Emiko's eyes widened at the sudden gesture.

"...I know! I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting. It's his maiden work as his most representative piece--It's titled **'Sayuri.'** "

Yusuke showed them the picture of a beautiful woman with dark hair styled in a one side braid laying on her shoulder and wearing red.   
She had a warm and loving smile on her face, and her body was surrounded by a purple cloud.

" **'Sayuri'**...?" Ann trailed.

"This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist."

"She's so beautiful..." Ann gasped in awe.

"I don't know about all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive..." Ryuji widened his eyes.

"........!" Emiko's eyes sparkled upon seeing the painting.

"When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting..." Yusuke looked at Ann.

"Eh?" Ann blushed madly.

"I wish to pursue beauty like this. And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you: seriously consider my offer. I'm sorry that you took time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you'll excuse me, then." He excused himself before walking inside the house.

Ryuji was left in a loss for words even after Yusuke walked inside the shack since he glanced at Ann who was still a blushing mess. She brought her fingers up to her cheek to feel its warmth from the aftermath of Yusuke's words to her.   
The blonde-haired boy felt as if the strings of his heart were being pulled forcefully as well as an uncomfortable feeling dwelling in the pit of his stomach.   
He hated that feeling a lot and wanted it to stop, so he shook his head before noticing that Ann's blush finally died down.

"Those two... seem like nice guys, don't they?" Ryuji asked hesitantly.

"I'm kind of taken aback. Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person. It seems like Madarame-Sensei really is a good person. I can tell Kitagawa-Kun sincerely respects him. Someone who's been on TV bowed to us. Maybe the rumors were mistaken?" Ann rubbed the back of her head.

"Maybe." Ren looked down.

"But it really was a shack." Ryuji told Ann.

"Yeah, right?"

"Man, right when we thought we found a new target, too..." Ryuji sighed in disappointment.

"How's the Meta-Nav?" Morgana asked as Ren checked his phone.

**_"Candidate found."_ **

"Hey, the app..." Ryuji got alerted.

"The Meta-Nav is reacting." Ren had an unreadable expression on his face.

"No way! A hit?! Ryuji gasped.

"Dammit..." Emiko gritted her teeth angrily exhaling that word while holding her wrist tightly.

"Was it picking up our conversation? This display... it means that Madarame has a Palace too, right?! But why?!" Ann asked.

"I don't know." Ren replied.

" **'Madarame'** ,  **'Plagiarism'**... and then  **'Shack'** , huh? These seem to be the keywords." Morgana pointed out.

"For real though, what the hell's goin' on?! Does an old man like him really have a Palace...?!"

"We have the person's name and the location. All that's left is the  **'what'**  Madarame mistakes this shack for to enter his Palace." Morgana added for the matter-of-factly.

"You mean... like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?" Ann asked.

"That's right. Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses." Morgana suggested.

"It's a bit sudden, though..." Ryuji scratched his hair.

"Why don't we start with  **'castle'**?" Ann asked.

_**"No candidates found."** _

"Then...  **'Exhibit,'**  maybe...?" Emiko trailed.

_**"No candidates found."** _

"Then, what about  **'prison'**?" Ryuji spoke up.

_**"No candidates found."** _

"Ugh, what a pain!  **'Jail'**!  **'Warehouse'!**  And  **'guidance counselin' office'**! Might as well add  **'farm'**!" Ryuji counted.

_**"No candidates found."** _

"Not a single hit...?"

"...Should we come back another time?" Morgana asked.

"A building that's related to artists... if we think from there, that would be it...?" Ann trailed.

"You already figured it out too, didn't you, Ren?" Emiko eyed the raven-haired.

With a nod of acknowledgment, he said "A  **'museum.'** "

_**"Beginning navigation."** _

" **'Beginning navigation...'**  Whoa, really?" Ryuji widened his eyes.

And finally, the dark vortex formed to teleport them to the Metaverse.

*******

_**\------Madarame's Palace------** _

"Hey, when did you activate the Nav?! You surprised me!" Mona yelped.

"Didn't have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right." Skull shrugged it off.

"Sorry Mona, but it had to be done." Joker rubbed the back of his head.

"What if I hadn't noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy?!" Mona jumped.

"You prolly woulda figured it out once you started walkin' on two legs." Skull sighed hopelessly.

"Grrr..." Mona growled in frustration.

"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Morgana?" Panther asked.

"Yup. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle." Mona replied.

"I see..." Flare held her chin.

"Forget that... look!" Skull widened his eyes in awe while pointing at something.

Everyone else stopped talking and looked to see a humongous museum lying ahead of them made of gold and garnished with expensive and shiny jewelry.

"That shack is seriously some kinda museum?!" Skull widened his eyes.

"Let's go and check it out!" Joker said while everyone nodded before following him near the entrance.

"It's so extravagant... to the point that it's gaudy. It's a museum... right?" Panther asked uncomfortably.

"This is Madarame's?" Skull slightly widened his eyes.

"A Palace is scenery driven by desires, just like how Kamoshida's Palace was a castle. Mona explained.

"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though. His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?" Panther commented.

"You two got a point... It ain't related to plagiarism or abuse either." Skull agreed.

"I wonder about all this..." Flare trailed.

"Let's try looking around. Racking our brains here won't do us any good." Mona suggested.

"...Right. That aside... ain't museums a must for phantom thieves?!" Skull asked excitedly.

"Yeah, you're definitely right." Joker nodded.

"Now that's our joker! I feel the same." Mona spoke.

"But man, look at that insane crowd..." Skull commented.

"Well then, it's time we begin our infiltration!" Mona announced.

"Flare." Joker approached the pale blue-haired girl.

"What?"

"What you told Kitagawa... about living in pain."

"Please, just forget about it..."

The pale blue-haired's face got shadowed by her hair as she walked away to follow the others.   
Joker reached his arm to stop her but it was too late, and it was that moment when it was confirmed to him that Flare had a very sad story to tell.   
He followed the others towards to Palace of the artist Madarame, and whatever layed behind those doors were deep secrets waiting for them to be uncovered!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH. MY GOD. THIS CHAPTER IS FINALLY OVERRRRRRR!!! MY GOOOOOOOOOOD!!! DDXXXX
> 
> Mweheheheh, am I seeing a potential love rival for our Ryuji? Oh la la~ You better get your girl fast, Ryu!
> 
> And are we starting to see the REAL colors of Emiko? Looks like she has more than what the eye could see.
> 
> What did you think of the chapter nonetheless?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Fri/July 12/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	16. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Museum of Vanity's doors are finally open for its secrets to be uncovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie dokie, we kicked into Madarame's Arc powerfully thanks to all of you guys~  
> Anyways, without any further ado BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

 

The Phantom Thieves began their mission of infiltrating around the museum by jumping onto the fence to avoid being caught by the guards.  
They noticed a lot of people standing near the entrance in which Morgana suggested them to not touch them, but after eavesdropping on a conversation of two guards about bringing more security to the entrance, The Phantoms learnt that the security was focusing on the front entrance and most likely it'd be much less elsewhere, thus they made their way to the roof securing their route inside the building via an open skylight, and with the help of Morgana who conveniently had a rope in his possession, he made their entry almost as stylish and stealthy as movies.

Inside the museum, they hid around corners in the shadows away from the sight of guards, and snuck by whenever they saw an opening making their way inside cautiously trying their best to stay away from the eyes so that security won't increase any more from it already was until they reached a room filled with paintings hanging all over the walls.   
Each one of them was drawn almost in the same collection of colors which all seemed to be twitching in a way as if they were distorted in a way or another.

"...It's quiet. Almost too quiet." Mona whispered.

"H-Hey... this... It's moving..." Panther pointed at a painting with shaky fingers.

"C'mon, we're in a Palace. That ain't anything to be freakin' out over." Skull reassured the shaking ash blonde-haired.

"Hm, the Palace reflects its ruler's heart... we may want to check these paintings out." Mona pointed out.

Agreeing to Mona's suggestion, each member of the party split up all over the floor investigating the portrait paintings hung on the walls.  
They all had one thing in common which is portraying young people whether they're boys or girls, and in front of each painting there was a plaque that had a name and an age written on it much to the confusion and suspicion of the group.

"Hey, this doesn't make any sense... Madarame's famous for having a variety of art styles... but all the portraits on display here look the same... this is way different from what was at the--" Panther got interrupted.

"Wait a sec!" Skull pointed his finger at a painting of a familiar male person "Ain't this that guy we saw in Mementos...? Y'know, the one who was shit-talkin' Madarame..."

"Natsuhiko Nakanohara. His name's written on the plaque." Mona added.

"Dude, I don't get it! Why's there a paintin' of him in here?! And more important, why's his name written under it?" Skull widened his eyes.

"You're right... doesn't art usually have like, the title of the piece or the artist's name?" Panther questioned.

"Hm... this is quite the mystery... Flare, what do you--" Mona turned back, but the pale blue-haired wasn't in sight.

"Huh? Where's Flare...?" Panther looked around her.

Still, in a slight state of confusion, the thieves walked into the room scanning their surroundings for their pale blue-haired friend who suddenly disappeared in the midst of their investigation without even realizing it until now.  
After a few minutes, Joker spotted the soldier-wearing thief who was actually just standing in front of a painting few feet away from them, but they were too focused on the sight of Nakanohara's painting to simply see her.   
However, Joker noticed that something wasn't right about the girl.

She froze in her spot as if her body grew entirely numb, sweat rolled down her face, eyes wide open, and mouth slightly agape.  
He quietly approached her standing next to her to see what made her in that state.  
But when he saw what she was seeing, his eyes widened open entirely and couldn't maintain a loud gasp from escaping his lips which caught the attention of his teammates who quickly rushed toward the two to see what they were so shocked about.

"What...? No way!" Panther covered her mouth in shock upon seeing what Flare and Joker were focused at.

"Hey, isn't this a painting of that guy...?" Skull looked at his teammates.

"It says  **'Yusuke Kitagawa.'**  There's no mistaking it." Mona pointed out.

"........." Flare gritted her teeth in pure anger.

"Huh...? Wait a second... what do you think these paintings are...?" Panther questioned the others.

"Those are Madarame's pupils, there's no mistaking it." Flare bit her finger.

"I think you're right." She nodded in agreement.

"For real? All of 'em...? But it was only Yusuke when we went to his place before..." Skull widened his eyes shockingly.

"This must include former pupils as well. Only one remains now... taking into account what that Nakanohara guy said earlier, things are getting clearer." Mona narrowed his eyes.

"........." Flare closed her eyes. Her face told that she was troubled.

"All right, let's keep investigating. We need something to further confirm our deductions." Mona added.

With a union nod of acknowledgment, the Phantom Thieves continued their exploration of Madarame's museum looking for any clues that might tell the thieves more about Madarame's true nature and ulterior motives.  
They snuck in the hallways of the museum away from the sight of guards trying to look at everything that caught their attention, and that lasted until they entered an exhibition room noticing a giant winged golden sculpture placed in the middle of the room.

"Hm..." Mona trailed upon seeing the sculpture "...Look at this."

" **'The Infinite Spring'**?" Panther read the sculpture's name on the plaque " **'A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!'** " Her voice had tints of rage and anger in it.

"What the eff...?!"

"Hey... this is most likely about the plagiarism, right...?" Panther asked seriously.

"That Madarame..." Flare balled her fists.

"Dammit, what a phony geezer!" Skull growled.

"In other words, his pupils are his property. He doesn't even qualify as an artist if this is true. He's stealing the ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood. I wondered about those portraits on display... they must all be his  **'pupils'**  through his cognition. This even says that they have no worth. Couldn't this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they're useful to him, but the moment they're not..." Mona trailed.

"Throw them away... just like a broken toy." Flare continued the sentence.

"He's treating them like slaves or tools!" Panther refused the idea.

"Why's Yusuke keepin' quiet about this? He's got no reason to cover this up!"

"He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in..." Panther looked down.

"But still...!" Skull protested.

"When we were at the exhibit, I praised one of the pieces on display. But... Kitagawa-Kun acted strange. Maybe that piece was plagiarized too..." Panther scratched her head.

"If that's the case, our next target is..." Joker closed his eyes before opening them again "Madarame."

"That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"Hold on, you two. We should confirm these facts with Yusuke once more." Mona halted.

"Confirm what though?!" Skull frowned.

"It means we should get solid evidence that such crimes actually took place."

"I actually agree with Mona. Making a move now could be really dangerous. It's better if we don't rush this, at least not yet." Flare held her chin as she spoke.

"What a pain in the ass..."

"Besides, there's too much we don't know about Madarame yet."

"...Mm, you're right. I'll try contacting Kitagawa-Kun. I might be able to get the truth out of him if I accept his modeling offer." Panther spoke.

"Wait, you're gonna do that?!" Mona gasped in shock.

"You all better come with me, OK? I'm scared to go alone..." Panther admitted.

"A famous, renowned artist, huh? This might be tougher than Kamoshida. Well, we'll just prep ourselves until we get confirmation from Yusuke. This is our first mission as real phantom thieves. We're gonna succeed no matter what!" Skull grinned confidently.

It was settled at last. The next target was already chosen, but the Phantom Thieves needed confirmation on everything they learned from exploring the Palace today to know whether they should make their move soon or not.  
But even if they still didn't know much about Madarame, what they speculated from seeing the paintings today didn't ease their fears at all, and the fact that he had a Palace was really problematic.  
Hopefully, they'd be able to talk with Yusuke peacefully without him getting defensive like last time, but there was still a big chance that he won't, yet trying won't harm anyone.

Right?

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------_ **

With a heavy, troubled, and distressed sigh escaping his lips, Ren stared at his lap while he was sitting down on his bed thinking about the things they saw in the Palace earlier that day.  
The thing about seeing paintings of all of his previous and one current pupil along with the words written in front of the golden sculpture on the plaque made Ren question Madarame's true nature and doings.

He couldn't easily forget when Madarame bowed in front all of them asking for their apology when they confronted Yusuke in front of the shack the first time hoping to know to the truth.  
Ren was entirely shocked by that action especially that it wasn't something familiar for elderly people to bow to the youths in Japanese culture especially that he's a very famous artist among the public, but now he couldn't stop thinking that this gesture was nothing more than mere acting which bothered him a lot.

"The reason why Yusuke is hiding the truth, huh..." Morgana trailed.

Right when he was about to open his mouth to answer that statement, Ren's phone vibrated telling him to open the group IM chat.

_Ann: Would you really forgive someone unconditionally if you owe your life to them?_

_Ann: I'm not so sure anymore._

_Ryuji: What're you bringing this up for?_

_Ann: According to Kitagawa-Kun, Madarame isn't a problem._

_Ren: What do you mean?_

_Ryuji: Something wrong?_

_Ann: I mean, I know Madarame is a bad person, but still..._

_Ann: Maybe I'm so hesitant because I haven't actually met any of his victims._

_Ryuji: Yeah, I guess that part's totally different from what happened with Kamoshida._

_Emiko: You're... not entirely wrong._

_Ann: This might be an extreme line of thinking..._

_Ann: But if an evil person isn't causing any trouble now..._

_Ann: Is there really a point in us stepping in?_

_Ryuji: Well... you got a point._

_Ryuji: So we're gonna let Yusuke decide if Madarame's worth going after or not?_

_Emiko: Looks like it._

_Ryuji: I dunno... if it were me, I'd never forgive that bastard!_

_Ren: Let's all see how Kitagawa feels first._

_Ann: Yeah... I guess we could talk some more after that._

_Ann: OK, let's meet in Shibuya after school tomorrow._

And just at the moment that chat ended, Ren couldn't even blink his eye since his phone immediately rang receiving a call from someone.

 ** _Pi_**   ** _p_** ** _i_** ** _pi_**

"Hello?" Ren took the call.

"Hey, it's me." It was Ryuji on the other line.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I can't just forgive Madarame, but what Ann said made me think... to Yusuke, are we just a bunch of thugs?"

"Probably. I mean, considering the way he treats us."

"I knew it... it ain't like he thinks it is! Pisses me off just thinkin' about it! Good people have to put up with so much crap while shitty adults do whatever they want. Makes me sick. I'm not wrong... am I?"

"You're right. We'll take them down for sure."

"Aww yeah! Don't tell Ann I called you, by the way. Seriously. Well, see you tomorrow."

With that Ryuji hung up leaving Ren in a stunned state staring at his screen blankly as he recalled his Ryuji's words and the concern in his voice when he asked if they were thugs to Yusuke, but hearing him cheered up after Ren assured him that they'll change the hearts of corrupted adults caused his lips to curve up in a small smile before laying down on the bed and drifting to the world of dreams.

*******

 ** _\------Next Day: Class 2_** - ** _D------_**

Classes were just like normal, but Ren couldn't pay attention to half of the lecture since his line of thinking still lingered in his mind about Madarame's nature and ability to fake modesty by bowing in front of them like that as if manners didn't mean anything anymore, and he was also concerned about Ryuji's concerns from their phone call last night.  
His phone buzzed lightly in the drawer of his desk which made him grab it quickly to see the group chat and not get caught by the teacher.

_Ann: All right, I contacted Kitagawa-Kun about modeling for him._

_Ann: Still waiting for his response._

_Ryuji: Thanks!_

_Ann: I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do as an art model though..._

_Ren: Just be yourself, Ann._

_Ann: That's actually kinda hard..._

_Emiko: I don't understand, how is acting like yourself hard?_

_Ryuji: Look, you don't gotta go all out for this._

_Ryuji: You're only doing it so you can get dirt on Madarame, remember?_

_Ann: That is true._

_Ann: It sounded like Kitagawa-Kun wants this to be a private picture of his though..._

_Ann: Well, I guess I'll let you guys know when he contacts me again._

*******

**_\------After School: The Courtyard------_ **

Hours seemed to pass very slowly now that the group was living the anticipation of Yuauke's reply to Ann's message.  
They knew that he'll surely agree since he seemed like in a desperate need for Ann's modeling, but the time factor is what concerned them because they wished if it can happen as soon as possible.  
But, the school day finally ended and each one of them rushed to the courtyard so they can know whether Yusuke answered her yet or not and when exactly.  
Each one of the teenagers along with Morgana had anticipated looks in their eyes as they all stared intensely at Ann, fingers crossed mentally of course.

"I got a response from Kitagawa-Kun. He said he wants me to come over after school today." Ann finally eased their worries.

"Perfect. He prolly changed his plans immediately just so he could get you over there." Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"We need to find out from Kitagawa-Kun if what we saw in the Palace was true..." Ann looked down.

"........." Emiko grunted at that sentence.

"Hey, quiet down. It's that student council president." Mona whispered.

They all looked at the direction where Morgana was looking and saw the student council president Makoto standing in the middle of the walkway having a conversation with Mishima.  
The ex-volleyball player seemed really intensed as Makoto was talking to him and his facial expressions told that their talk was heated and serious.

"Tch..." The glasses-wearing girl clicked her tongue.

"Yikes... she got hold of Mishima today? It'd suck if she noticed us. C'mon, let's split up." Ryuji spoke.

"Good idea." Ren nodded.

"OK, see you later." Ann waved before walking away with Ryuji.

"Shall we?" Emiko eyed the noirest before walking away.

Dumbfounded for a moment, Ren soon came back to his five senses and followed Emiko walking with her side-by-side, but he felt as if tension was growing between them since neither of them spoke a word.  
Even though Emiko joined the group a while ago, she still felt like a stranger to Ren, especially that he still knows very little about her, unlike Ryuji and Ann who opened up to him really quickly.  
He couldn't deny that he wanted to get to know her more like her hobbies and interests and hear the full story of her shooting her father because he had a strong feeling that there was more in this story that they didn't know about just yet but Ren didn't want to force her into that, instead he wanted her to tell them herself after she trusts them fully and feel more comfortable around them.

He just didn't want to rush it, or maybe he never wanted to get on her bad side again.  
She was still quite a mystery to him, but something told him that Emiko was a lot more than he thought and had a strong feeling that she wasn't showing her real self especially after seeing her cry while hugging Mayu and forgiving her for leaking her story after Kamoshida's confession at the gym.  
Ren didn't only have a strong feeling of that but was kinda sure of it as well.

*******

**_\------Shibuya's Passageway------_ **

Ren and Emiko arrived together at Shibuya's passageway, seeing Ryuji waiting for them, which was a long walking path with a big glassy window extending for as far as the eye could see along with an iron railing.  
The sun was already setting, so the light seeped through the window shadowing everything with magnificent orange and red hues.  
They leaned on the railway especially after noticing that one person from the group was still missing.

"We finally landed a big target. C'mon, let's get some dirt on Madarame." Ryuji smirked excitedly "But man... Ann's late."

"Speak of the devil." Emiko looked at her left.

"Sorry. I was thinking about some things and didn't notice how much time had passed." Ann approached the group.

"Thinkin' about what...?"

"Don't you think Kitagawa-Kun has to be protecting Madarame? I mean they live together, so he'd have to be aware of Madarame's true nature. The only reason I can think for him doing that is that Madarame has something on him."

"It is highly possible when taking Kitagawa's behaviors into account." Emiko held her chin.

"Yeah, that's weird. But that's why we're goin' to check it out, right? You ready to be a model?" Ryuji asked the ash blonde-haired.

"Yeah, I'm prepared."

"Whaddya mean prepared? Prepared for what?" Ryuji asked again before looking at the noirest "Something seem different about her to you?"

"Did she cut her bangs?" Ren narrowed his eyes.

"Ooh, nice eye!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I didn't cut them." Ann admitted.

"Seriously..." Emiko sighed deeply.

"H-Huh, well... let's get goin'. We gotta talk to Yusuke." Ryuji spoke nervously looking a little embarrassed.

"Kitagawa-Kun seemed really happy when I agreed to be his model. Once he finishes drawing and gets a little friendlier, we should bring up Madarame." Ann suggested, earning nods from her friends.

With that strategy in mind, the group left the passageway together heading to the train station.  
It was finally the time to know the truth and get into the bottom of this whole mess, but it all depended on Yusuke's cooperation which was something a little troubling, but it couldn't be helped. They had to distinguish lies from the truth.

*******

**_\------Madarame's House------_ **

They made it there at last, but from the moment Yusuke opened the door of the shack, set foot inside, and went inside his home, they felt this unwelcoming vibe coming from the young artist as he kept shooting them disapproving glares along the way.

"I thought it would just be you coming, Takamaki-San." Yusuke glared at the others.

"Wouldn't you get nervous too if it was just the three of us?" Ann added.

"We're here to keep an eye on you, so don't try anything perverted, 'kay?" Ryuji sent deadly glares himself to the young artist.

"Oh please." Emiko rolled her eyes.

"Stop making such odd assumptions. I have absolutely no interest in her as someone of the opposite sex." Yusuke said.

"Huh?" Ann dumbfounded.

"Is there a problem?"

"...No, not really."

Ann trailed before sitting down and posing by crossing her legs and burying her face in her palm.  
She didn't know what she felt at that moment after Yusuke's words about not being interested in her as a person from the opposite sex. Was she glad? Relieved? Angry? Disappointed?  
Or more like, she had mixed emotions swirling inside her and couldn't pinpoint what she really felt, but one thing for certain was that she had a troubled look in her bright blue eyes.

"Well then, let's go started." Yusuke smiled before beginning to paint.

"S-Sorry being here yesterday and today..." Ann apologized "Actually, Kitagawa-Kun, I wanted to ask--"

"Don't move."

"We don't have time for this!" Ryuji yelled.

"Quiet! You'll break my concentration." Yusuke interrupted as continuing to scribble on the canvas.

"...Hey." Ann called while Yusuke kept painting "Kitagawa-Kun?"

"........" Yusuke was very focused on his work.

"Hello?"

"........."

"You hear her?" Ryuji asked.

"........."

"Great, he ended up being deaf." Emiko had a bored expression while burying her face in her palm.

"...It's no use." Ann spoke.

"This isn't what we planned! We were gonna catch him off guard and make him spill his beans, weren't we?" Morgana asked.

"How were we supposed to know this was gonna happen...?" Ryuji looked at the noirest.

"Who knows..." Ren sighed deeply.

"Guess we just gotta wait 'til he's done... what an effin' pain in the ass."

"Perhaps, I should try going outside this room..." Morgana whispered.

"Don't get caught, Morgana" Ren reminded the cat.

"Heh, who do you think you're talking to?" Morgana smirked "This is too boring, so I'm going to scout around a bit."

Morgana hopped off from Ren's bag and exited the room scouting around the house walking inside the dimly lit corridors of the shack, and if he forgot that he was at Madarame's residence, he'd think that he was at a haunted house.  
But soon enough, his shiny blue eyes fell upon a weird door that was surprisingly big as well and had a peacock drawing on all of it.

"It's weird how flashy that door is... and... is that a lock? A door with a hefty lock... what could be in there?"

********

**_\------Time Skip------_ **

Yusuke was still painting his model Ann and seemed to be struggling a lot with it from the look of his face.  
Every second passing felt heavy and slow like a long eternity which made them feel like their eyelids were about to close and fall asleep while sitting.  
But during the whole process, Ryuji couldn't shift his eyes away from Ann for some reason and kept staring at her as if he wanted to memorize every tiny detail about her.  
Her perfect skin, her beautiful platinum blonde hair, her shiny blue eyes, and her curvous body.  
His heart was leaping rapidly in his chest as if it was running in a marathon which made him feel a bit uncomfortable and on edge, but still couldn't look away from her. He always couldn't, even in middle school.

On the other hand, Emiko was staring down blankly on her lap recalling the event that occurred during Madarame's exhibit about the painting she saw and the flashback she recalled.  
At that moment, she felt as if all those emotions came back again to consume her both physically and mentally.  
Emiko tried her absolute best to hide those feelings by holding her hands tightly on her lap, but she couldn't stop them from trembling and shaking badly.

With a glance, Ren noticed the state Emiko was suffering at that moment and saw how her hands were shaking terribly.  
It was obvious that she was scared of something and obviously, he didn't know what exactly she was scared of, but the cold sweat that rolled down her face and the color of her skin wasn't assuring at all and felt a lump in his throat while looking at her trembling with fear.

Without thinking much of it, his hand sought hers and was placed on top of her trembled ones gently and softly.

"........!"

Feeling the warmth of his skin, Emiko almost jumped from her chair and quickly spun her head to see that Ren was turning his face away from her not exchanging any eye contact.  
She felt goosebumps rising in her body for a second, but soon her fears were all slowly fading away.  
There was something in his touch and in the way that held her which she couldn't pinpoint made Emiko relax and feel like she can forget everything that was worrying her, but also her heartbeat fastened crazily in her chest and felt like her face was on fire.

Unknown to Emiko, Ren turned his face away from her to also hide his reddish face and shut his eyes tightly chanting mentally for his heartbeat to calm down. He was beyond embarrassed at that moment and even questioned himself to why he pulled such a move in the first place.  
But what brought their attention back to reality was the sound of an exhausted sigh escaping Yusuke which made Ren quickly let go of Emiko and Ryuji to look back at the dark blue-haired.

"Are you done?" Ryuji asked raising his hopes.

"It's no good..." Yusuke looked quite exhausted.

"...What?" Ryuji stood up.

"I'm sorry.... am I the problem?" Ann asked.

"No, not at all. It's just... I'm having trouble staying focused today. I'm sorry, but we'll have to resume this another time..."

"Oh hell no! How many hours do you think you made us wait?!" Ryuji yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry... we had another reason for seeing you today. We needed to talk to you." Ann stood up.

"It's about those rumors regarding your sensei." Ryuji butt in.

"This again..." Yusuke stood up.

"That painting we saw at the exhibit... you're the one who actually painted it, right?" Ann asked the young artist.

"That's..."

"I knew it."

"........." Emiko gritted her teeth.

"Your sensei's seriously messed up. He just thinks of his pupils as tools. That's why he doesn't give a damn whether he steals their work or physically beats them. I'll make this clear, there's no point in hidin' stuff from us."

"Hahaha... I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"You can't go against him, could you?" Ann asked.

"We can help you--" Ren was about to say.

"Stop it... it's just as you all say. We're our sensei's  **'artwork.'** "

".......?!" Everyone got alerted.

"Don't misunderstand me though. I offered my ideas to him myself. As such, it can't be called plagiarism. Sensei is simply suffering from artist's block right now." Yusuke explained.

"Dude, still...!" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"But you're the one who put your heart and soul into those paintings, not your Sensei! Doesn't that angry you even a bit?" Emiko raised her voice at the young artist.

"........." Yusuke just looked down.

"Kitagawa-Kun..."

"Then why're you sticking around?! All his other pupils ran away! Aren't you the only one left?!" Ryuji hissed angrily.

"What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master?! There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!" Yusuke yelled even louder.

"That's not right! At least your sensei should've given you credit, not taking all the glory to himself!" Emiko rebutted.

"Are you really OK with all this?" Ren asked calmly.

"........!" Yusuke looked at the noirest "I'm supporting Sensei as his pupil. Where's the wrong in that?"

Yusuke sat down lowering his head "Don't ever come here again... if you do, I'll sue you for causing a disturbance."

"Hold it! We're not done talkin' here!" Ryuji yelled.

"Then you leave me with no choice..." Yusuke stood up pulling out his phone.

"Hey!" Ryuji called.

"I'm reporting you to the police." Yusuke threatened to earn shocked faces from the four teenagers.

There was no joking about that.

"I asked Takamaki-San to be my model, but I don't recall ever calling you three here!" Yusuke said.

"What the eff, man?!" Ryuji leaned his face closely to him while shouting.

"Ryuji! Stop it!" Ann held his arm gently "Calm down, OK?!"

"Dammit...!"

"Kitagawa, you...!" Emiko hissed like a viper.

"I won't report you... but only under one condition." Yusuke corrected himself.

"What's that?" Ann asked.

"I want you to continue being my model, Takamaki-San." Yusuke replied.

"But you said that it wasn't working out today..." Ann trailed.

"That's because I was unconsciously being modest for your sake... however, I have nothing to worry about anymore. If you're willing to bare everything to me... I will put my heart and soul into creating the best nude painting ever!" Yusuke exclaimed loudly.

".........." Dots grew on Ren and Emiko's faces as they pulled comical facial expressions (._.) trying to process what they just heard.

That was before the shock took them to a brand new level "HUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH??!"

"WHAT?!" Ryuji yelled in shock.

"Nude?!" Ann gasped.

"What're you thinkin' about, you perv?!"

"Ah, to think I'd be able to create a nude painting with my most ideal model...! Of course, you three won't be allowed in, and I ask that you forget about our discussion today as well. If I don't submit a new piece to Sensei soon, there will be some... inconveniences." Yusuke said.

"Nude, meaning it'll be without any clothes, right?! Why are things suddenly escalating like that?!" Ann's face was a blushing mess.

"Because those are my terms."

"But that--" Ann paused not knowing what to say. Her blush deepened even more.

"Wait, ain't that bad?!" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Sensei is out during the afternoon while the art exhibit is on, so I can use this place freely... I should buy more art supplies..." Yusuke seemed happy.

"Will you give me a second here?!" Ann snapped embarrassingly.

"Of course, I'm willing to wait. I'll make time according to plans. But, please come before the exhibit ends."

"No! That's not what I mean! Why are you not listening...?!" Ann shouted making her blush deepen even more.

"No, I'm not letting you do this to her! Do you understand?!" Ryuji stood in front of Ann protectively while facing Yusuke.

"Ryuji...!"

"Why is that? Are you two perhaps dating?" Yusuke questioned.

"D-Dating?!" Ann blushed again madly.

"H-Hell no!" Ryuji rejected embarrassingly. His face felt like it was on fire.

"Then why?" Yusuke repeated his question.

"Because... because I..."

Ryuji's hands began shaking at that point and sweat rolled down when reality shook him that he couldn't say a single word in Ann's defense.

_"D-Dammit...! I can't say anything... why?!"_

"Sensei will be returning home soon. We're done for today, Takamaki-San, I'll be waiting for you to contact me." Yusuke had completely neglected Ryuji's disapproval.

"No no no! We are not talking here!" Ann swung her arms nervously across het face as Yusuke sat down again.

"Hey... what should we do, Ren?" Ryuji asked his friend desperately.

"We should leave for now..."

"Yeah... dammit. He got us good this time."

"I hate to say this, but you're right." Emiko eyed Yusuke carefully like a wild animal waiting to hunt its prey.

"Don't give up so easily!" Ann snapped at Ryuji embarrassingly with her red face.

At that moment, Ryuji slid the door open seeing Morgana standing outside the room.

"Huh? Is she done being a model?" Morgana asked.

"...A cat?" Yusuke lifted his head when he heard meowing.

"You moron!" Ryuji whisper-shouted before quickly grabbing him forcefully.

"Mraow?!" Morgana dumbfounded.

Despite Morgana's disapproved cries of Ryuji's hostility and aggressiveness by the way he was carrying him, the group had left the room with a mix of disappointment and anger.  
Yusuke's tone was very serious and there was no point for joking and not only that, but things have escalated quickly and took a whole different turn because of his demand to draw Ann naked, and above all, they couldn't get much information of Yusuke.  
With all of those thoughts in mind, they stood right out of the shack exchanging silent looks among themselves.

"He's totally out of his mind! I'm gonna have to pose nude if this keeps up!" Ann shouted.

"How dare that Yusuke...!" Morgana growled.

"The way he said it, it's not gonna be semi, but full-on nude..." Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows.

"F-Fu--F-F-Full nudity...? Lady Ann's gonna..." Morgana stuttered crazily about to pass out.

"Drop it!" Ann growled.

"You know, you won't have to worry about that if we make Madarame confess before the exhibit ends." Ryuji added for the-matter-of-factly.

"That's true." Emiko pushed her glasses upward.

"But Kitagawa-Kun thinks he owes his life to him. Is there a need to make Madarame confess?" Ann asked hesitantly.

"Then, Lady Ann.... you're fine with baring it all?!"

"I am not!"

"Madarame's no different from Kamoshida. That asshole's usin' Yusuke who doesn't have parents. You're tellin' me we should just ignore how he's bein' treated horribly like the other pupils?"

"No... it is frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-Kun is fine with it himself."

"........" Emiko stared silently at the shack.

"You can't leave it be because you've endured a lot yourself, with Kamoshida." Morgana told Ann.

"...Yeah."

"Anyways, we gotta go after this guy. Madarame's the kind of target we've been waiting for. Let's help Yusuke come to his sense too... before he ends up like us." Ryuji added.

"...Right." The girls agreed.

"We need to look into Madarame first." Morgana stated.

"There might be tons more stuff that hasn't been exposed yet, too." Ryuji added.

"It may become easier for us to investigate his Palace if he's preoccupied with his exhibit." Morgana said.

"Maybe, but we still have to worry about the security there." Emiko added.

"Also, there's the thing about me modeling! Kitagawa-Kun said there'd be  **'inconveniences'** unless he submits a new piece. Maybe that's going to be announced soon as Madarame's next work."

"Does that mean that the whole country's gonna see you nude?!" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Are you not confident?" Ren asked coolly.

"What, are you saying I'm-- no, I mean-- that's not what this is about!" Ann gasped.

"Is this really the time to joke around? Be serious!" Emiko leaned her angry face close to Ren's.

"S-Sorry..." He turned his embarrassed face away.

"We must deal with Madarame, no matter what, before his exhibit ends!" Morgana narrowed his eyes.

"Let's start after school tomorrow. It'll be a pain if Miss President finds us on the rooftop again, so where to meet up... let's see..." Ryuji trailed "I guess that walkway-like place in Shibuya would work. It's near Madarame's place too."

"...Changing our hideout periodically, huh? That's a plan I don't mind backing." Morgana smiled proudly.

"All right then. We'll meet up there from now on." Ren spoke, earning nods from the others.

"Hey, can I talk to you kids for a sec?" A camera-wearing woman came out of nowhere and approached the group.

The woman had brown eyes, black hair in a bob cut and red lips.  
She wore a pair of orange sunglasses on her hair, a black shirt with a motto which read  **'low life fight the power,'**  a white long-sleeved shirt under the black shirt and blue jeans. She also carried a pink fanny pack, a camera hung from her neck and a water bottle. Her shoes were black-and-white.

"...Huh?" Ryuji looked puzzlingly at the woman.

"From the looks of things, you don't seem like the ordinary, stalking fans." The camera-wearing woman pointed out.

"Uh..." Ann trailed awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry. I should've been more clear. I'm actually looking for people that know Madarame's pupils. There's this painting  **'Sayuri,'**  that was supposedly stolen in the past. But there's this rumor that it was taken by one of his pupils in retaliation for being abused. Have you heard anything about that?"

"Ryuji knows." Ren pointed his finger at his blonde-haired buddy.

"Me?! I don't know nothing!"

"I see... there's no case unless there's a victim, and if there's no proof of abuse... I can't write either. Looks like I'm back to square one. Sorry for taking your time."

"You don't need to apologize, ma'am." Emiko stated.

"I'm a journalist. If you ever get any leads, mind contacting me here?" The camera-wearing woman handed her card to Ren.

"Sure..." Ren looked at the card.

"See you then." The camera-wearing woman grinned again before leaving the group.

"...I guess we should go home go today." Ryuji said as the rest nodded.

Departing, each one of the group went on their separate direction before waving to one another.  
Making her way home, Emiko's mind went back to that brief moment in the shack when Ren held her hands; she recalled it all, the softness and warmth of his touch, the gentleness it carried within, and the reassurance it gave.  
There was something about it that made her calm down when she was in her worst state and feel... secure and safe like there wasn't anything to be scared of anymore, and everything that concerned her simply vanished in thin air.

She froze in her place after feeling her heart leaping quickly in her chest as if it was about to jump out.  
Her fingertips reached her cheeks which were heating up crazily from the emotions that rushed within her.  
Emiko quickly shook her head before making her away again in a much faster pace trying her best to forget about this whole thing.

That was when...

"Senpai, wait!"

".......?"

Emiko turned her back to see a girl running toward her direction who had a light brown hair which was tied in pigtails with red ribbons and had red eyes.  
She wore the default female winter Shujin uniform with the exception of white knee socks and dark sneakers.

Wait...

That was the girl she saved from the claws of that pedophile before.

"It's you..."

"Thank goodness, I thought you wouldn't remember me." The girl smiled widely.

"How can I help you?"

"I never had the chance to thank you properly when you saved me, Hayashi-Senpai."

"You... know my name?"

"Of course, who doesn't know about you in school, Senpai? You know, after the rumors about you spread."

"...I see."

"It was awful when I also read the article about you online:  **'A Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Shot Her Own Father.'** "

"Your point?"

"At first I was shocked and refused to believe the rumors, but after you saved me I knew for sure that you weren't simply a murderer, so I went ahead and delivered my message." She showed her phone's screen to Emiko.

" **'The Rumored Murderer Saves a Shujin Student From Sexual Harassment.'** " Emiko read the title.

"I was actually surprised by the amount of support the article got from the students of the school, girls and boys alike. It seems as though the opinions of most of the students changed about you, just like I wanted."

"Wh-Who are you?" Emiko was beyond shocked at that point.

"Rin Tachibana, a first-year student. At your service!" Rin saluted Emiko like a magical anime girl "I'm also the main writer of the school's blog."

"Tachibana, I don't know what to say about this--"

"Senpai please, it's the least I can do to thank you. It's the Phantom Thieves who taught me to stand up for those who need help."

"The Phantom Thieves, huh..."

"I'm also aspiring on becoming an investigative journalist, so if there's anything you want to look into, then please tell me. I'll be more than willing to help. What do you say?"

"I'll... consider your offer."

"It's a deal then! Hopefully, we can be friends too, Senpai!"

**_"I am thou, thou art I... thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessings that shall lead to freedom and new power..."_ **

"Oh, look at the time I must go now. See you later!"

With that, Rin waved at Emiko while smiling widely before running off away from her leaving an astonished and shocked Emiko standing behind alone.   
It took some time for Emiko to process what had just happened... especially those words that rang in her head and about their meaning.  
But that Rin... she just came out of nowhere and did something for Emiko that no human could have done for her.   
The act of speaking up on the school's blog, sate what happened, and make her whole story calm down between the students now that they know the untold side of her, was truly astonishing to her.

With a feeling of satisfaction, Emiko made her way again home with the smallest smile ever on her face. Her eyes were also tearing up with joy.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------_ **

That night there was only one thought that lingered on Ren's head.  
Not Madarame, his Palace, nor Yusuke's threatening, but it was Emiko Hayashi and the moment he touched and held her.  
He still remembered how frightened she looked, and how much her hands shook under his touch.  
He could feel all the fear within her the moment his hand laid on hers but more importantly, he couldn't shake off the feeling of her soft skin in contact with his which made him feel butterflies in the pit of his stomach which was truly uncomfortable.

But he violently shook his head to regain his original train of thought before thinking of Emiko.

"Reporting us huh...? That sure sounded like blackmail." Ren mumbled to himself while laying down on his bed.

"Whatever, I still can't forgive him! Demanding to paint Lady Ann nude and then claiming to report us to the police..."

 **_Pi_ ** **_p_ ** **_i_ ** **_pi_ **

The sound of his phone ringing caught Ren's attention and reached his hand for the Sony phone which was laying next to him on bed picking up the call.

"Hey, it's me. Got a minute?" It was Mishima speaking.

"Yeah, sure."

"I have some interesting news. Someone who received a change of heart contacted me on the Phan-Site. Said he wants to meet with you to discuss another person who needs a change of heart."

"Another change of heart?"

"You're better off talking to him in person if you want specifics. All I know is his target is a terrible person. And that it might complicate things if he posted the name online. I'll have him wait for you at Shibuya Station after school. The guy's name is  **'Nakanohara.'** "

"........?!" His eyes slightly widened.

"Nakanohara... that's Madarame's student." Morgana pointed out.

"I told him to approach you. Good luck." Mishima cheered.

"Thanks." Ren hung up the call "Nakanohara..."

But the sound of the noirest's phone vibrating again after he just ended the call caused him to quickly pull it out again seeing that Ryuji sent an IM on the group log chat.

_Ryuji: I found out something insane about Madarame._

_Ryuji: Sounds like a student of his offed himself when he couldn't speak up about Madarame stealing his work._

_Ren: Is that true?_

_Ann: That journalist was looking into Madarame too._

_Ann: It could be real._

_Ryuji: Someone died though._

_Ryuji: No one's talking about it... I bet it was covered up._

_Ann: I wonder if Kitagawa-Kun has heard anything..._

_Ann: It'd be great if he could help us out._

_Ryuji: Ain't that asking a bit much?_

_Ryuji: After today, he's prolly gonna be on edge about us._

_Emiko: True..._

_Ryuji: Well anyway, Madarame's still a piece of crap!_

_Ryuji: Let's meet up tomorrow. It'll be our first time at the new hideout._

_Ann: It's that passageway in Shibuya, right?_

_Ann: Got it. See you guys tomorrow._

"If the rumor Ryuji just spoke of is true, there have to be other victims..." Morgana trailed.

"Yeah..."

Ren couldn't even know what to say ay that point because those emotions rushed back at him the moment Emiko texted in the group chat and felt like his face was heating up crazily.  
With an annoyed groan, Ren quickly grabbed his pillow and slammed it on his face in order to hide it so Morgana won't see how embarrassed he was.

He wished if he could just die at that moment.

"Ren? Are you... all right?" Morgana hesitantly asked while sweatdropping.

"I'm fine!" His voice was muffled due to his face being buried in the pillow.

"Is that so...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY FINGERS HURT!!!! DXXX
> 
> Anyways, what did you think about the chapter? Was it cool? *smirks*
> 
> The mention of Rin Tachibana and making her a confidant of Emiko's was pretty cool, no?
> 
> AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I AM SO FANGIRLING RIGHT NOW, GUYS!!!
> 
> We ARE witnessing the born of the RenEmi and RyuAnn ships!  AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
> 
> Did you like this chapter?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sat/July 20/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	17. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A battle between two great brains on a squared board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't have anything to say. Haha.  
> So, let's jump right into the chapter!

_**\----** _ _**\--The Next Day After School: Shibuya's Station------** _

  
As agreed, Ren went to Shibuya's station after school to meet up with Nakanohara as Mishima informed him the previous night. He didn't know what to expect from a sudden arranged meeting by Mishima himself, but he obviously hoped if the group can get some useful information about Madarame from him.  
The Phantom Thieves indeed triggered a change of heart in him, but he had absolutely no idea how his behavior will be like them especially that he offered help.  
Ren stood in his place looking around him left and right anticipating the arrival of the person who fought his Shadow not too long ago.

And after few minutes of his arrival to the station, he spotted his other three teammates walking to his direction and like predicted, Ryuji was waving at him while grinning widely as the two girls Ann and Emiko seemed like they were done with life at that point since they both looked troubled while sighing heavily.  
Very typical and thus, it wasn't surprising for the noirest at all.

"Yo." Ryuji approached him along with the girls.

"We're about to head to the hideout too." Ann added.

"It looks like you're waiting for someone, right Ren?" Emiko asked.

"Yeah..."

"Who's that...?" Ann pointed at a familiar-looking man walking towards them.

"Excuse me..." The man in suit trailed.

"That's Nakanohara. Mishima told us to meet him here in Shibuya today." Morgana explained.

"For real...?" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"...My name is Nakanohara. Natsuhiko Nakanohara, the one who was posted about on the Phantom Aficionado Website."

"He seems pretty nice. Doesn't seem like the stalker type. I think the change of heart must have worked." Ann commented.

"The administrator of that website contacted me... they told me to look for someone in a Shujin uniform with a cat..."

"So? Whaddya want?" Ryuji narrowed his eyes.

"You may have already heard, but there's someone I wish to trigger a change of heart in." Nakanohara spoke "...An artist by the name of Madarame."

"So... you were one of Madarame's pupils?" Ren asked.

"Ooh, you think this is it? Is the pupil gonna confess his master's secrets?" Ryuji asked Ann shockingly.

"His Shadow did mention Madarame as well..." Ann recalled.

"I'm... one of Madarame's former pupils." Nakanohara admitted.

"I knew it." Ren closed his eyes sorrowfully.

"He gave me lodging at his house, where I thought only about art. I genuinely wanted to be an artist... there was another pupil as well. A very talented man, multiple years my senior. Obviously, Madarame kept tabs on him. Everything he made was claimed as a Madarame original. He wasn't the only victim though..."

"All right, we got some real proof of the plagiarism." Ryuji nodded.

"In response to Madarame's actions... that senior pupil committed suicide."

"Suicide..." Ann widened her eyes.

"Wh-What?!" Emiko covered her mouth.

"His name was Satoshi _**Mizuno**_."

"........." Ren knitted his eyebrows.

"He must have been unable to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name. That was when I disobeyed Madarame's please and left... but he quickly pressured other parts of the art world, and my life as a painter was destroyed. I tried to turn over a new leaf working at a ward office... but it was no use. My attachment to art warped my emotions. Soon I began getting attached to everything... in the end, I even turned into a stalker... ha... haha..." Nakanohara laughed sadly "...I'd like to ask again. Please, make Madarame have a change of heart. Not only for me. It's... to save the life of another man as well."

"Save their life? Do you mean...?" Ren trailed.

"Even now, there is still one young man remaining under Madarame's tutelage. I think he's about your age."

"........." Mikki gritted her teeth angrily.

"That has to be Yusuke." Morgana added firmly.

"Not only is he a talented artist, he also owes Madarame for taking him in after his mother passed... he is the perfect target."

"So Yusuke's got no choice but to listen!" Ryuji growled angrily.

"Dammit...!" Emiko wheezed.

"I actually spoke to him a few times back when I was still living at Madarame's. I asked him if he found it painful to stay with Madarame... and do you know what he said? **'If I could leave, I would...'** " Nakanohara explained.

"Kitagawa-Kun..." Ann looked down painfully.

"I have no right to say this given my prior cowardice, but I don't want to see another suicide...! I'd like to find a way to save this young man. He has a bright future ahead of him... please consider that when thinking about changing Madarame's heart." Nakanohara pleaded before bowing to them.

All the four teenagers exchanged blank looks among themselves as they were speechless after hearing Nakanohara's words and his sudden bow in front of people younger than him as a sign of the utmost respect and modesty.  
He left them standing in their place still quite shocked and stunned about what their ears just heard which only added more weight on Madarame's unforgivable sins.  
And not that only, but a person's life was in danger too... along with his future and freedom.

"We've been asked to act directly on behalf of one of Madarame's victims. It sounds like we don't have the time to deliberate whether or not to change Madarame's heart." Morgana spoke firmly.

"You're right. Let's go and save Yusuke!" Ren said seriously.

"Hell yeah! Madarame's just a piece of shit who preys on the weak." Ryuji gritted his teeth.

"Suicide... I'll never let something like that happen! Plus, we finally got to hear how Kitagawa-Kun really feels!" Ann added.

"I was a little suspicious at the beginning, but this settles it. We can't let Madarame do whatever he wants anymore." Emiko spoke firmly.

"Well, since we've reached a unanimous decision, how about we continue this at our new hideout?" Morgana suggested.

"Together, nothing's impossible." Ren smirked.

"Yeah!" All the rest nodded together.

Mona was absolutely right, they _did_ reach a unanimous decision about targetting Madarame.  
At that moment, it seemed like all of their past fears and hesitations were gone and thrown out from the window.  
They were finally confident and knew exactly what must be done to achieve that goal.

*******

_**\------Shibuya's Passageway------** _

"Our target this time is Madarame! We all saw that Palace. We'll pay dearly if we assume it's just going to be like the last one. And furthermore... Lady Ann's chastity is on the line!" Morgana said firmly.

"What?!" Ann gasped.

"We'll need to do what we did with Kamoshida. First, we secure an infiltration route in the Palace. After that, we send our calling card. Once the Treasure has materialized, we steal it."

"Oooh, I got a question! Madarame doesn't know that we were doin' stuff in the Palace yet. Why are we already gettin' treated like criminals in there?"

"You're learning, Ryuji. Well done. It must be because he doesn't trust anyone. Any unknown person may as well be an enemy."

"Or maybe he's just super salty from all those rumors that have been spreading about him..." Ann added.

"That could be a possibility." Emiko held her chin.

"Then his Palace bein' so crazy had nothing to do with us...?" Ryuji turned his gaze between the group.

"Looks like it." Ren replied.

"Either way, we should stay on our best behavior. It'll be harder for us to steal the Treasure if we needlessly increase the security level." Morgana reminded.

"We need to be careful of Kitagawa-Kun this time too. I'm sure that whatever he sees will just get passed on to Madarame."

"That's right!" Morgana nodded.

"Hey, what is Madarame's Treasure going to look like anyway? Another crown?" Ann questioned curiously.

"I'd doubt that. But my sixth sense will know when I see it." Morgana answered confidently.

"Oh yeah, you go completely nuts, huh." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders.

"Our time limit is when the exhibit ends, right? That means... June 5th." Ann crossed her arms.

"June 5th..." Emiko repeated those words.

"We'll carry out the plan after we've sent out the calling card. So, our infiltration route will need to be set in stone two days prior, on June 2nd." Morgana pointed out.

"Now listen here. We can't mess this up, NO MATTER WHAT! OK?!" Ann said in a scary tone.

"Yes, ma'am!" They all said in unison.

"This is the first job for The Phantoms, so let's make sure we do it right! Come on, it's time to get this mission started!" Morgana exclaimed.

The whole group nodded in union after hearing those encouraging words before they looked at one another smirking confidentially.  
It really was the very first mission for The Phantoms, and mistakes are not tolerated especially after they learned how Yusuke's life might be in danger if this situation keeps up.  
They've already made their minds and were determined enough to carry out this mission until the very end.

There was no turning back now.

*******

_**\-------Next Day: Shibuya's Station------** _

Before going to school, Ren was standing on the platform inside of Shibuya's train station waiting for the scheduled train to arrive so he can go to school.  
While waiting, he pulled out his phone browsing through his messages and missed calls logs again seeing that he still hasn't got anything new from his parents much to his disappointment.  
He let out a deep, sad, and troubled sigh before scrolling through various news and topics online which were mostly talking about Madarame's exhibit and its awesomeness.

However, as he was checking news online, he couldn't stop hearing footsteps constantly drawing nearer to his direction which made him lift his eyes only to see the dark blue-haired young artist approaching him, and that caused Ren to raise his eyebrow suspiciously as Yusuke walked toward him until he stood right across him with a firm expression on his face.

"So it's you... you did use this line, now that I think about it..." Yusuke spoke before frowning "...I hope you understand. I warn you. Don't involve yourself any further."

"Waiting for me, are you?"

"I only saw you coincidentally. I have no time for such an ambush. If you continue sniffing around my sensei, we have ways of dealing with it too. That's all I have to say." Yusuke said in a threatening tone before walking away.

"This is really bad." Morgana popped his head out of Ren's bag.

"I know..." The noirest replied.

Yes, it really was bad especially that now they were against Yusuke too and not Madarame only, and that made Ren skeptical about whether he truly met him _accidentally_ or in fact was waiting to ambush him.  
He really couldn't distinguish the truth from lies out of this thought since both possibilities were possible duo to Yusuke's blind loyalty to his mentor.  
What cut his train of thoughts was the announcement of the train's arrival which made him shake his head and enter the train as soon as it arrived.

*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------** _

".........."

Ren let out a distressed sigh while throwing himself on his bed fixing the gaze of his grey eyes on the wooden ceiling above him.  
His mind wandered with so many thoughts about the things they've learned recently.  
The truth about Madarame, the danger surrounding Yusuke, Nakanohara's past, and... Yusuke's threat to him in the station earlier that day.

But also... he couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips as he recalled his comrades' resolve and determination to save Yusuke who is someone who they barely knew.  
Their emotions and honesty were really remarkable and touched Ren deeply which made him feel happy in spite of everything.

"Hey, what's on your mind?" Morgana jumped on the bed.

"I was just thinking about the guys." Ren replied before pulling a genuine smile on his face "How they're really concerned about someone we barely met. They're really amazing..."

"I guess I can agree on that. Even though each one of them is... unique in their own way. But they share the same aesthetics and principals which is helping those in need." Morgana swung his tail.

"Yeah, that's true." Ren chuckled sadly before narrowing his eyes.

_"Helping those in need..."_

His memory went back to the day he tried to help save the woman from sexual harassment from the drunk man.  
Helping others was simply something in his personality, but he didn't know that he'd have to pay such a high price for it.  
Why did he have to go through this? And only to save a woman? Why did he have to be labeled and treated like a criminal?  
What wrong did he do to pay such a high price just because he had the intention to help someone in need? Can evil really overshadow good in that way?

The sound of his phone vibrating caught Ren's five senses before he pulled it up and opened the IM chat.

_Ann: Kitagawa-Kun contacted me..._

_Ryuji: Asking you to model for him again?_

_Ann: No._

_Emiko: What did he say?_

_Ann: He said,_ _"_ _Outsiders who do not understand my circumstances should refrain from butting in."_

 _Ann:_ _"_ _If you continue to involve yourselves, I will be forced to contact the police."_

_Ren: He told me the same thing._

_Ryuji: He texted you too...?_

_Ren: More like met me in person in the station._

_Emiko: Wait, what?_

_Ryuji: I think we gotta stop trying to convince him. He's not gonna listen to anything we have to say._

_Ann: Think he's just being obstinate at this point._

_Ann: I'm pretty sure he can sense something is wrong..._

_Ann: And the only reason he made that impossible demand was to try and distance us from him._

_Ryuji: You think?_

_Ryuji: He just seems like a weird, stubborn dude to me._

_Ann: I guess that does fit the artist stereotype..._

_Ryuji: Either way, what we gotta do ain't gonna change._

_Ryuji: We have to steal Madarame's heart._

Ren repeated the words Ryuji wrote in his final message feeling the resolve and determination again to stop Madarame and his evildoings.  
True, Ren was being treated cruelly and wrongly by the unmerciful society only because his intentions were good, and that made him fully aware that he didn't want from anyone to suffer as he did.  
He did nothing wrong to deserve the treatment he was getting but after meeting Ryuji and the others, he saw that many others are in his same situation, and that's why he couldn't allow himself to let this happen to Yusuke too.

Not again, not ever.

*******

_**\------Next Day: Madarame's Palace------** _

The day finally came when the Phantom Thieves would begin their heist in Madarame's Palace to uncover his darkest secrets and bring him to justice so he won't continue harming other innocent young and aspiring artists.  
After learning the truth from Nakanohara, it was as clear as crystal that con artist could never be forgiven in any way, so the Phantom Thieves were already standing in front of the Museum of Vanity in a circle to discuss their infiltration plan.

"I'm sure you already know this, but the first thing we need to do is secure an infiltration route." Mona reminded.

"Then we send the callin' card. Yeah, yeah, we know the drill. Anyways, let's get ready!" Skull spoke impatiently.

"For a once, I agree with you." Flare chuckled.

With that said, the group made their way, led by Joker, heading to the rooftop where they found an opening and left the rope hanging there so they can come back later.  
Entering the museum once again, the Phantom Thieves continued infiltrating the Palace to get into the bottom of Madarame's deceive personality and secure their infiltration way to where the Treasure could be hidden.  
The party entered the exhibition room one more time trying to examine the halls where the paintings of Madarame's pupils were hanging.

"Wait, Joker!" Mona halted the noirest "Tch... it's an infrared laser device. If we touch it, the security will increase!"

"Hold on, there wasn't anything like this last time though!" Skull widened his eyes.

"The rumors might slowly be making Madarame become more wary of us..." Mona narrowed his eyes.

"Wary, you say..." Flare repeated those words.

"No problem. I can easily handle this with my skills." Joker smirked confidently before sliding under the laser.

As expected, the Phantom Thieves encountered many Shadows along the way and fought some of them, while they were able to hide from others to avoid as many unnecessary battles as possible.  
Even so, those battles weren't that hard or tiring to them since Flare's weaponry and combat skills proved to be very efficient as Mona predicted which helped greatly in making the mission go more smoothly.  
On their way, the party entered a room that had a shiny golden sheen being on display which captivated all of Mona's five senses entierly.

"H-Hey, wait a second! You're just gonna ignore that golden sheen?" Morgana looked at the sheen in awe before his eyes sparkled "Mmmm... look at that luster... I know it might be tough to take with us, but don't you think it'd sell for tons?" He exclaimed before jumping at the sheen and embracing it.

"C'mon, we didn't come here to--" Skull cut his sentence before widening his eyes "Hold on, you're steppin' on something!"

"Isn't this bad?!" Panther almost freaked out.

"Everyone, stand back!"

Joker called as he quickly jumped backward.  
Unfortunately, his teammates were shocked and astonished to react to his words, and thus they got trapped between the infrared laser that got activated thanks to Mona, of course.

"Oh no, I tripped the security!" Mona shouted.

"Mona, you stupid little..." Flare growled under her breath.

"Urgh, and you were the one makin' us be careful too... so, whaddya wanna do? Run outta here?"

"No, passing through all these lasers will draw far too many enemies to our location!" Mona warned.

"Oh, hold on! Joker's not trapped!" Panther exclaimed.

"Sorry Joker, but we're going to need you to search for a way to turn off these infrared lasers. This is a museum, so there has to be some switch to let the workers avoid these lasers. Find it...!" Mona pleaded desperately.

"And you better hurry up before I shoot him." Flare added while glaring deadly at Mona as if she was preparing herself to jump and hunt him down.

"Sure, I can help with that." Joker replied casually while walking away.

"W-Wait, wh-what?! No, Joker! Don't let her shoot meeee!" Mona cried out.

Carrying on with the annoying task, Joker sneaked around the area both stealthily and stylishly by climbing on a small ledge above him and walking alongside the wall until he found a small vent.  
Crawling inside it, he found a security room with a laptop inside but to disable the security, he had to enter a password, thus he exited the room and eavesdropped on the conversation of two guards and learned what the password was.  
After entering it and successfully disabling the lasers, the leader returned to his teammates with a relieved expression on his face after his wild exploration in the area.

"You guys OK?" Joker walked over to the group.

"Yeah, we're fine. But someone won't be fine very soon." Flare glared again at Mona sending shivers down his spine.

"I-I'm sorry... that was very much unlike me..." Mona looked down.

"Sheesh... weren't you the one tellin' us not to go around touchin' shit in the exhibit?"

"Urgh, that is true... I can't believe I made such a novice mistake, even for solid gold... but something was drawing me to this vase..." Mona trailed.

"What do you mean...? Isn't it just an ordinary gold vase? I wonder if there's something special about it. Should we take a closer look just in case?" Panther asked calmly.

"You mean this vase?" All of sudden, Flare grabbed the vase in her hands.

"H-Hey, be careful with--"

Mona's words got interrupted by Flare dropping the golden vase on the floor shattering into many small shatters.  
Everyone's eyes grew wide at Flare's sudden action who kept pulling an almost perfect poker face, but not the same could be said about the poor Mona.  
His expression grew comical with his jaw being dropped all the way to the floor and his eyes turned blankly white.

"It's just a fake. And you say that a phantom thief should be able to recognize a fake from genuine... wow, you're really so responsible, Mona." Flare clapped her hands mockingly.

Mona only lowered his head in silence and pure shame especially by Flare's words that carried all the honesty possible... along with unmercifulness and venom in them.  
So after the embarrassing event of the fake golden vase at the exhibit room on the second floor, the party carried on with their way whether they liked it or not.  
They kept investigating the Palace and its secrets until they reached a room that had a beautiful door right in the chest of it which was decorated with peacock patterns drawn on it, but it was blocked with many powerful and high infrared lasers.

"Whoa! The hell?!" Skull stopped his tracks.

"Are these... infrared lasers? There's no way we can get past them..." Panther widened her eyes.

"This man is just plain crazy..." Flare added.

"This level of security only proves there's something worth protecting up ahead." Mona folded his arms.

"Wait, there's something written on the sign... **'All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it... please be cautious as it is impossible to open from the outside.'** " Panther read a sign hung in front of the lasers.

"So, it's never gonna open?! How're we supposed to get past...?!"

"Wait... that door... I think I've seen that pattern somewhere..." Mona jumped "...Oh right! There's no mistaking it! That's the same door I saw earlier!"

"Where?" Joker raised his eyebrow.

"Guys, let's head back!" Mona spoke firmly.

"Huh? Why?!" Skull widened his eyes.

"I think I know what the real-world door that's based on. There may be another way to open it! In any case, I'll explain later! Come on, let's go!" Mona ran away from the group.

"I suppose we should listen to Morgana for the time being..." Joker looked back at his teammates who only shrugged their shoulders.

They followed him in silence until the nearly reached the door, only for Joker to activate the Meta-Nav that brought them in the dark vortex that will bring them back home.

*******

**_\------The Real World: In Front of Madarame's House------_ **

It was pure disappointment and curiosity written on all the teenagers' faces.  
They were so close from getting into the depth of the Palace, but NO they just HAD to encounter that sealed door which could only be opened from inside.  
But there was still hope since Morgana stated that he had an explanation to all this, and possibly how to get past it as well.

Hopefully...

"How're we supposed to get past that door...?" Ann trailed.

"I dunno... you think there's some kinda off switch somewhere?" Ryuji asked.

"Looks like this is where I come in." Morgana smirked.

"Mona...?" Ann called hesitantly.

"I have a suspicious place in mind. Remember? This shack is the basis for Madarame's Palace. I actually scouted it out the last time we were there."

"Whoa... so this was your plan from the start...?" Ryuji widened his eyes in awe.

"Correct."

"So that's where you head off back then... I must say that I'm impressed." Emiko admitted.

"What's that? Am I being praised by you?" Morgana giggled.

"Don't get used to it."

"...You only went **'scouting'** because you were bored." Ann commented.

"I take my words back." Emiko shook her head.

"Ugh, you didn't have to put it like that, Lady Ann..."

"So? Where's this suspicious place?" Ryuji asked.

"It's on the second floor. I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock on a door up there."

"If it's locked, that means there's something in there he doesn't want people to see." Ann furrowed her eyebrows.

"But don't we wanna be openin' the door in the Palace?"

"Yes, and we're going to do that by opening the real one in front of Madarame's eyes. Basically, we're going to change his cognition that the door is unopenable."

"In other words... when we open the one in Madarame's house, that area in his Palace will open on its own?" Ann widened her eyes.

"I'm not really gettin' it... is that gonna work?"

"The timing will be the problem though..." Ren held his chin.

"Yeah, I agree. It won't be easy at all." Emiko folded her arms.

"Trust me! There's no chance it won't open!" Morgana spoke confidently before he blunted "...I think!"

"Ugh, when you will EVER be certain about anything?" Emiko held her nose between her thumb and index.

"You understand, don't you Ren?" Morgana had a cold sweat rolling on his face.

"It can't hurt to try... I mean, it's not like we have a better choice anyway." Ren sighed deeply.

"Well yeah, but..." Ryuji trailed.

"Why don't you trust me?! It's worth a try!" Morgana raised his tone.

"But even then, there's still that hesty lock we have to deal with in reality, right?" Ann remembered.

"Oh, that'll be a breeze. Just give me a hairpin and I'll handle it. It will take some time though. Doing everything by myself in front of Madarame would be impossible. If only there was someone who could distract him for a while..."

"...Huh?" Ann was completely oblivious.

"Oh... ohhh! Man, how are we gonna get into his house? We'd get reported for sure if we force ourselves in..." Ryuji grinned from ear to ear while looking playfully at Ann.

"I agree... what should we do?" Ren sang.

"Hm, I wonder..." Emiko gave Ann the same look.

"What?" Ann glared at the three of them.

"I guess the only way is... having you go nude." Ryuji's goofy grin was still on his face.

"WHAT?!" Ann gasped as she blushed madly.

"Fancy you say that, Ryuji. I was just thinking the same thing." Morgana smiled.

"I must admit that the same thought crossed my mind." Emiko smirked.

"This isn't funny!" Ann shouted while stomping her foot on the ground beneath her.

"It's for justice... probably." Light shone on Ren's glasses.

"We're not saying you should really get naked." Ryuji pointed out.

"It's simply the best excuse to enter Madarame's house without raising suspensions... so, we'd like for you to play the role of decoy, Lady Ann."

"This is way too sudden... I mean, I don't even know where the locked door is." Ann argued.

"Don't worry. I'll accompany you." Morgana added reassuringly.

"But that's still technically only me... worst comes to worst, what if I get found out...?" Ann was about to freak out.

"We can go to the Palace! ...Or something?" Morgana questioned.

"Is that really gonna work?! I mean, you're not giving me much confidence in this plan! Do I have to be the bait...?" Ann whined as she looked down.

"Good luck, Ann." Ren gave her a thumbs-up.

"Why can't one of you guys go nude?!" Ann protested.

".......!" Emiko felt like she was about to choke.

"This ain't what he wants." Ryuji frowned.

"Then make it so he does!"

"All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, have him take you to that room, then just open the door."

"You make it sound so easy...! But if there's no other way... I don't... I don't... I don't have a choice... urghhhh! God! Fine, I'll do it! For justice! Seriously, you better pull this off!" Ann threatened.

"It's for your sake Lady Ann, I won't stop scratching even if all my claws were to break!"

"We'll, be counting on you, Morgana! Don't let Yusuke notice ya, all right?"

"If he tries to force my clothes off... I'll tear that house down." Ann growled.

"I'd love to see that." Emiko smirked.

"I'm really gonna lose it if we do all this and the Palace door doesn't open, got it?" Ann asked angrily.

"We're workin' to get dirt on that guy's crimes either way. It won't go to waste." Ryuji reassuringly "All right, let's get down and dirty tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?!" Ann gasped.

"Earlier the better."

"Um, b-but... will Kitagawa-Kun agree?"

"I dunno, just say something like **'I really need it to be tomorrow.'** that should work, yeah?"

Ryuji's suggestion and poor imitation of a girly voice caused Ann to facepalm her forehead and sweatdrop heavily while Ren and Emiko only exchanged blank expressions to the other before shrugging their shoulders at the same time.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc------_ **

After a tiring day in the Palace and coming up with a devilish and hard plan to continue their investigation, Ren felt utterly exhausted and longed for a good night's sleep.  
He opened the café's door with a heavy sigh knowing exactly that the plan was not anywhere near guaranteed and had many holes they can fall into; the timing was the biggest one of these holes, and getting exposed or reported by Madarame or Yusuke was the other.

"Leave this to me. I'll get it open right before his very eyes." Morgana whispered firmly.

As Ren nodded in acknowledgment, his phone vibrated making the announcement of the almost daily session of text messaging among the group, thus he opened the chat to see what his comrades were talking about.

_Ryuji: You get in touch with Yusuke?_

_Ann: Mm-hm. He asked me to come by tomorrow._

_Ryuji: Awww yeah, he fell for it!_

_Emiko: That was unexpectedly easy._

_Ann: Um, do I... really have to do this...?_

_Ren: Strip for him, Ann._

_Ann: I AM NOT STRIPPING!_

_Ryuji: Man, this is such a pain..._

_Ryuji: We gotta open that door AND have Madarame see it, right?_

_Emiko: Stop complaining._

_Ann: Yeah, Morgana said that'll change his cognition._

_Ryuji: I don't get it..._

__Ren: You should see tomorrow._ _

_Emiko: This should be interesting._

_Ryuji: Oh, and one more thing._

_Ryuji: Let us know if any weird shit goes down and we'll be there to back you up ASAP._

_Ann: Kk, got it._

_Ren: Good luck, Ann._

"A Palace is a reflection of how its owner views the real world. So, if Madarame's cognition of reality changes, it's only natural that his Palace would be affected. And all jokes aside, we really will need Lady Ann to strip for Yusuke. It's the only way."

"The way you say it makes it feel more perverted than it already is." Ren sweatdropped.

"Ren." Suddenly, Sojiro spoke up.

"Y-Yes?" He quickly put his phone into his pocket and Morgana hid again in the bag.

"I'll be out for a bit to buy some groceries for home. Take care of the shop until I return."

Not even waiting for Ren's response, Sojiro had already taken his apron off and closed the door behind him.  
The noirest tried to reach his hand out opening his mouth to say something, but the sound of the door closing along with the jingling voice went ahead of him which made his body stiffen a bit.  
With a cold sweat rolling down his face, Ren lowered his arm having a surprised expression on his face as he blinked his eyes several times already.

"Looks like you don't have any choice until the Chief returns." Morgana jumped out from the bag onto a chair in front of the counter.

"I know."

With a deep sigh, Ren walked the stairs up to the attic so he can take his school uniform off quickly, then he walked down again after changing to some more comfortable casual clothes and put an apron on.  
After that, he went to behind the counter and began wiping it with a clean cloth while staring blankly at his reflection on the polished surface.

The café was quiet... maybe too quiet, and nothing was cutting that silence beside the sound of the clock ticking which was hung on the wall.  
Morgana sat on one of the chairs in front of the counter gazing at Ren who was fumbling with his dark locks.  
The wait was killing, and every second passing was slower than the previous one.

There weren't any signs that anyone will show up any time soon, and that thought alone caused Ren to lean on the counter, bury his face into his palm, and sigh deeply.  
Ren couldn't even understand why it crossed his mind, but he walked back to the kitchen to check it only to meet the scene of a pile of dirty dishes stacked in the sink which only meant that Sojiro forgot to clean them up before leaving.

"Seriously..."

With an annoyed sigh, Ren pulled his sleeves up while walking toward the sink and started cleaning them up with a sponge soaked with soap.  
The sound of the running water filled his ears entirely as his hands moved on their own much to his surprise, and every now and then he would hum to himself.

On the other side, Morgana laid his body onto the chair in pure boredom while yawning as time felt so slow and heavy.  
Then all of a sudden, the shop's door opened which Morgana jump up and almost fall down as he cat hopped down and hid behind the counter so that he won't be seen.

Footsteps made their way in on the wooden floor followed by a gasp of awe as a pair of charmed dark brown eyes wandered around.  
The atmosphere was lovely, cozy, and warm to them as they inhaled deeply making the sweet aroma of coffee fill their nose while humming happily to themselves.  
They took a few more steps inside looking left and right surprised that no one was inside which made them prepare themselves to leave, but Ren walked back making them stop their tracks.

"Welcom--"

Ren's sentence was interrupted in mid-air as soon as his eyes fell upon the person who was there and about to leave, and honestly, that person was the last person he ever expected to see in such a place.  
Their eyes were as curious, shocked, and wide as Ren's the moment their eyes met and saw who was working in Leblanc.

"E-Emiko?!"

"R-Ren?"

"Wh-What are you doing here?" He cleared his throat.

"I was in the neighborhood and saw this café and thought to give it a visit. I must say, it's not bad. The atmosphere is lovely." She looked around her.

"I see..."

"Wait, do you work here?"

"I live here actually. In the attic."

"...Huh?"

"It's a long story."

"Oh."

"P-Please, take a seat."

Taking his offer with a nod, Emiko walked over the booth and sat while still looking around her in awe and amazement.

"What? Emiko's here?!" Morgana jumped up again on the counter.

"Oh, it's you, Morgana."

"Good to see you here."

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"So, what will you have?" Still nervous, Ren asked the girl.

"Anything, honestly."

"A-All right..."

With a nod, Ren pulled out the coffee machine, some beans, and put water on the fire in the kitchen waiting for it to boil.  
In the meantime, Emiko took advantage of the peace and quiet that surrounded the café and pulled out a book from her school bag titled as **'Murder on the Orient Express'** by Agatha Christie and started reading it.  
With each word she read, each page she flipped, her senses were completely captivated by every printed letter her eyes fell upon and felt like she was inside of the story, a character in it, and imagining every single detail of the investigation that conducted in the Orient Express, and that caused her eyes to sparkle in excitement as her pupils seemed to eat every word.

On the other hand, Ren was already pouring the boiled water over the coffee beans in a circular way making the hot and dark liquid fall inside the cup and its sweet and delicious aroma filling the entire room.  
For some unknown reason, Ren kept stealing glances at the brown-haired girl seeing how her expressions were shifting every now and then which made him grin and chuckle softly to himself.  
He couldn't understand why... but seeing her like that made him happy in a way or another but soon the coffee was finally finished, so Ren walked over the table where Emiko was sitting as she placed her book down on the table.

"Sorry for the wait." Ren placed the cup in front of the brown-haired. Its aroma filling all over the place.

She muttered a quick thank you before lifting the cup.

".........." Ren observed the girl with anticipating eyes. It was the first time ever he made coffee for someone, so he was a little bit anxious.

"Huh...? That flavor..." Emiko whispered to herself after taking a sip of the coffee Ren made.

Unexpectedly, a tear fell down from her eye and made its way down her face.  
Emiko couldn't understand why she suddenly cried like that out of blues, but something about the taste of the coffee got her, something she couldn't quite grasp, something that felt... nostalgic.  
She looked up upon Ren's face and met his deep, dark, and charming grey eyes looking at her from behind the lenses of his glasses, and a sad smile was printed all over his face.

_"He was smiling."_

_"Like he was at a loss... like he was a little bit sad..."_

_"And I... thought to myself...."_

_"Just how can anyone be..."_

_"...as pretty as him?"_

Still smiling sadly to himself, Ren excused himself by slightly bowing in front of Emiko before returning back to his previous spot behind the counter with a cloth leaving the girl in her shock and sadness.  
Morgana widened his jaw agape looking between Ren and Emiko and giving the boy a look that meant **'What was that?!'**

When Emiko came back to reality, she quickly wiped her tears away before burying her face into her book in a desperate attempt to hide how embarrassed she was due to the fact that her heart beat rapidly and her face felt like it was on fire.  
Oh, how much she longed to slap herself in the face for only _thinking_ about that.  
She never paid attention to a boy's look or appearance, so what has changed at that moment?

But then all of a sudden, the door opened again which made Emiko quickly adjust her position and pull herself together by taking a deep breath.

"Hello again, Amamiya."

"Welcome back, Akechi."

"........?" Emiko stole a suspicious glance from behind her book.

"What will you have?"

"Whatever you recommend."

Nodding, Ren went back to work so he can prepare coffee for the ace detective who walked in scanning his surroundings to decide on which table to sit on.  
Suddenly, he stopped his tracks when his eyes fell on Emiko who was sitting in an elegant way, taking a sip from her drink while reading a book, but what caught her attention more was her Shujin uniform.  
With a smile, he approached her carefully and she looked at him curiously when she felt a presence near her.

"May I sit down here?" He asked politely.

"I don't mind."

Smiling again, Akechi sat down across her as she continued to read her book and sipping her coffee doing her best to ignore his presence.  
The young detective's eyes soon fell on the book Emiko was reading, and seeing the title alone made his face lit up ever so slightly.

" **'Murder on the Orient Express,'** huh? I can see you love detective novels." He chuckled heartedly.

"Yes, very much. How about you? Do you read Agatha Christie's works?"

"I do love detective novels as well, but I prefer Sherlock Holmes more. Perhaps due to the fact that I relate to him in his cases against Arsene Lupin."

"Hm, not bad for reading material."

"Oh pardon me, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm--"

"Everyone knows who you are, Detective."

"Haha, of course." He laughed lightly "And may I ask about your name?"

"It's Emiko. Emiko Hayashi."

"Pleasure to meet you, Hayashi-San." He offered his hand.

"Likewise, Akechi." She shook it.

"Your coffee." Ren came and placed a cup on the table.

"Thank you, Amamiya." He smiled at him as he excused himself.

"Mmm, the coffee here is very delicious." Akechi closed his eyes dreamily after taking a sip.

"I agree." She nodded before sipping from her own again.

"I know this may sound like a weird question to ask Hayashi-San, but do you play chess?"

"In a matter of fact, I do."

"Then, would you like to play a game?"

A smirk planted on her lips before she turned her face to Ren "Ren, you don't happen to have a chessboard here, do you?"

"We do actually. Wait a minute." He left.

"You know each other?" Akechi questioned.

"Yeah, we're classmates."

"I see... but, you're not wary of him since he's on probation?"

"Not at all. He seems like a very nice person to talk to."

"He does."

"Between you and me, I think there's more to his story. I mean, he doesn't look the type to assault someone."

"Perhaps you're right..."

"Here it is." Ren came back and placed down a chessboard along with all the pieces.

With a smile, Akechi set up the chessboard on the table along with all the pieces together as Ren went back to his place behind the counter to observe this match which thought it would be interesting, and Morgana was watching himself as well.  
After a few minutes, the board was all set up with Emiko taking the white pieces and Akechi the black ones, then the match started between them with the detective making the first move by moving a pawn, then Emiko followed with a pawn as well.

Unexpectedly, Akechi moved a black knight to claim her pawn, but she responded with her white bishop which caused astonishment to grow on the detective's features.

"Nice move, Hayashi-San. You're quite sharp."

"Same goes for you."

Another moment of silence passed as the two of them continued playing, and this time with Akechi claiming the bishop of Emiko with a black rook.

"May I ask you a question?" Akechi spoke.

"That depends on the question."

"What do you think of Kamoshida's incident?"

"You mean about the whole Phantom Thieves thing?"

"Correct. Do you think they truly exist?"

"Who knows?" Emiko claimed his rook.

"Have you ever spoken to any of his victims?"

"I can't say I did that really, I'm just acquainted with two of them since middle school, but we don't talk much. That's all."

"You mean the girl who tried to commit suicide, yes?"

"Right."

".........." Ren narrowed his eyes.

"He's onto us." Morgana whispered.

"Say, may I ask you another question?" Akechi looked up at her.

"You ask too many questions, Detective."

"Ahaha, it's not related to the Phantom Thieves, I promise." He chuckled.

"All right then, ask."

"Are you currently in a relationship?"

"Haha, no. I'm single, and I've never had a boyfriend before."

"Really?! M-My apologies, but I'm quite surprised... someone with your looks and sharp mind is still single?"

Wait... did he just compliment her look?!

"Why are you so shocked about this? I'm sure that someone as famous as you already got his share of girls..."

"Ahaha, actually no. I've never been in a relationship before."

"...Wh-What?!" She was honestly taken aback by that statement.

"I guess you can say... there was only one girl who managed to steal my heart. I have known her for over a year. She was truly everything a man could ever wish for... she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and with a very sharp mind. Had I only..." Akechi had a tinge of pure sadness in his eyes.

"What... happened...?"

"I pushed her away from my life. Not a single day passes without me thinking about her or the spiteful words I told her. Honestly, you do remind me a lot of her..." He admitted.

"Hmm... I look forward to meet this mysterious girl."

"You will, she attends your school after all--"

Uh oh, his tongue slipped.

"Ah!"

"Huh? She attends Shujin too?!"

"P-Please pretend like this conversation never happened, Hayashi-San." He shook his head nervously "How could I be so careless like this...? I should've been more careful with my words..."

"I-I'm sorry, Akechi. I didn't know it was such a sensitive subject to you. Don't worry, I won't ask anything about it."

"Thank you." He smiled heartedly.

"Oh, interesting. So, the girl Akechi has a crush on goes to your school." Morgana whispered.

"Yeah." Ren nodded.

"Checkmate!" Suddenly, Akechi claimed Emiko's king.

"Huh?! I lost?!" She nearly jumped from her seat before lowering her head down "Oh no.."

"That was a really good match, Hayashi-San. I never had such an enjoyable chess match in quite some time."

"I had fun too, Akechi. You're really good... well, I shouldn't be surprised since you're a detective and all."

"Ahaha." He laughed happily.

"That was a great match you two. Well done." Ren smiled.

"Thank you, Amamiya. It really was."

"Oh, look at the time. I should get going." Emiko quickly stood up and stuffed her book into her bag "My mom is expecting me at home, at I can't be late to her."

"Let me walk you to the station at least." Akechi offered.

"No need really, but I do appreciate the offer. It was nice meeting you again, Akechi." Emiko waved her arm politely before leaving some money on the counter to pay for her coffee.

"Pleasure is all mine, Hayashi-San." He gave her a small grin.

"Please, be careful on your way home." Ren eyed the girl seriously.

"Thanks, Ren. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Good night. You too, Morgana."

"Good night."

"Good night, Miss show-off!" Morgana exclaimed.

And with that, she left with a shake with her head.  
Then the café fell into silence after Emiko left and closed the door behind her as Akechi rearranged the chess pieces on the board again, but Ren stood still in his place still staring at the door which Emiko exited from only a few seconds ago.  
He recalled everything that happened since the moment she stepped in and remembering the glimmer in her eyes while she was reading and the joy she felt while she was playing chess...

...caused Ren's lips to curve up in a happy and genuine smile.

"Hm? Is there something wrong, Amamiya?"

"No, nothing at all, Akechi." He continued to smile to himself.

"Nothing at all."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH. MY... GOOOOOD!!! IT'S HAPPENING, FOLKS!!! IT'S HAPPENING!!!
> 
> AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
> 
> RENEMI AND GOROEMI!!! I REPEAT, IT IS HAPPENING!!!
> 
> Let the shipping wars begin! 😈😈😈
> 
> Ahem, anywaaaays~
> 
> What did you guys think of the chapter?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Wed/July 31/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	18. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The passionate artist finds his will to rebel and show the beauty and vice in his works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, I'm SO sorry for leaving you guys like that with no updates! But you see... I've been VERY busy with my mom planning for my graduation party.  
> But now's update time! So if you're cool with that, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! Cuz here we go!!!

 

 

_**\------Next Day: Shibuya's Passageway------** _

It was finally the day the plan would be carried out, the very same crazy plan in which Ann has to **'model'** for Yusuke while Morgana unlocks the hefty lock on that door, and STILL make Madarame see it at the same time.  
It still seemed like a very crazy and irrational plan, and yet it was their best shot to further their investigations in Madarame's Palace, especially since the time factor was the biggest issue at hand.  
But one thing remained about this whole plan...

It was a big gamble, a very big one.

"Ann, Morgana, we're countin' on you. Me, Mikki, and Ren're banned from goin' there, so all we can do is wait here..."

"No, you three have something different you'll need to do." Morgana corrected the blond-haired boy.

"Whaddya mean...?"

"You have to wait inside the Palace. Once that door opens, sneak in and look for some kind of control room. We need to make sure the door can't close anymore after it's open."

"Ohhh, I get it. Mkay, you can leave that to us!"

"All right, you can count on us." Ren nodded reassuringly.

"Doesn't seem like a bad idea for me." Emiko closed her eyes while smirking.

Then, they all nodded in unison before they got separated into two teams, the first would be Ann and Morgana, and the second would be the remaining of the three teenagers.  
Ann made her way while carrying Morgana to head to the train station, while the other three gathered in a circle as Ren was about to activate the Meta-Nav.

Although, Ryuji particularly couldn't keep his sight off from Ann as she was walking away and hoped that she'll be able to pull this off successfully and things won't escalate to something worse in there.  
She will be surrounded by two dangers from all sides, Yusuke and Madarame. Just the thought of risking Ann heading there by himself sickened him and made him regret he suggested the idea in the first place, but deep down...

He truly believed in her.

*******

_**\------Madarame's House------** _

"To think you'd really come... I assumed you were lying when you contacted me." Yusuke smiled while preparing the brushes and colors.

"I'm sorry it was so sudden, and we're sorry about last time. We were out of line. "

"Oh, it's not a problem. I apologize for kicking you out. But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes. So um... I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety on your part."

"That's why I'm here today, dammit." Ann mumbled quietly.

"What was that?" Yusuke asked while turning at Ann's direction.

"Oh no, it was nothing!" Ann laughed nervously.

"By the way... have you gained some weight?" Yusuke tilted his head.

He looked curiously at Ann before sweatdropping at the unexpected scene upon seeing his model wearing around ten layers of different clothes, or even more.

"You think so? I weight the same as always... maybe I'm bloated today?"

"So, then... can you, um... get ready here?"

"I... need to take my clothes off, right?" Ann looked down.

"Y-Yes please..." Yusuke stuttered.

"I'm embarrassed. Could you look the other way...?"

Yusuke responded to Ann's request to turn the other way as she started taking those layers of clothes off, just one by one throwing them towards his direction.

"......! ...Oh!"

"Phew, that was tight..." Ann sighed in relief.

"Tight...? No, I'm doing this for art...!"

"Don't look over here, OK...? Hey, your Sensei's coming back soon, right?" Ann asked as the wooden floor started to get drowned by clothes.

"I believe so..."

"Hm... do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely..."

"This should be good enough..." Yusuke blunted.

"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?"

"A lock...?"

"Must a girl say more...?" Ann asked as she threw more clothes.

"Wha?!" Yusuke was taken aback when a shirt was thrown right next to him "But the only room with a lock is... Sensei's room..."

"Then why not there?"

"I can't intrude... besides, I don't have the key..."

"He says he doesn't have the key." Ann whispered to Morgana.

"It's OK. That's why I'm here. I'll just use this hairpin..." Morgana whispered back.

"Takamaki-San, are you about--"

Yusuke turned towards her to see a large load of clothes scattered all across the floor.

"You were wearing all this?" Yusuke asked looking a bit shocked.

"D-Don't you think it's cold today?" Ann started acting like a total idiot with her overrated so-called **'acting skills.'**

"I suppose so? The sun is starting to set..."

"Riiiight? That's why a change of location would be nice... I mean, I'm gonna take it all off."

"True... It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model's mood..." Yusuke mumbled to himself.

"Uh-huh! That's right!"

"She may even be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in dynamic composition..."

"Wh-What kind of poses?!" Ann startled a bit.

"Lady Ann! You have to act! Get back in character!" Morgana said while hiding behind the door.

"Let's gooo... I was just starting to get in the mood." Ann said as Morgana ran out of the room before she walked out of the room.

"Wait! If you wander around, Sensei will..."

"Ohhh... it's sooo hot."

"W-We really can't use any other room..." Yusuke protested right before he saw a shirt being thrown at the room's entrance.

"Hey, why not this one?" Ann asked from outside.

"Please, wait!" Yusuke ran out of the room.

"I'm counting on you, Mona...!" Ann said quietly.

Ann shut her eyes tightly as she stepped out of the room wanting to distract Yusuke to buy enough time for Morgana to open the door.  
She kept mentally chanting to herself for Morgana to hurry it up and get it over with, and that she won't have to take any more clothes off.  
At that moment, only one thought lingered her mind that she wanted from that nightmare to end as soon as possible.

*******

_**\------Madarame's Palace------** _

Simultaneously, the other three thieves were inside of Madarame's Palace waiting outside of that sealed door and behind the infrared lasers.  
It was quiet since none of them spoke any word as they silently waited.  
Joker had his arms in his pockets like always, Skull was tapping his foot on the ground impatiently, and Flare was standing quietly closing her eyes with her white muffler covering the half of her face until her nose.

"They seriously gonna be able to pull this off...? She was sayin' stuff like **'I'll just seduce him with my acting.'** but that sounds outta her league..." Skull trailed.

"........" Joker only grunted in response.

"Plus, we ain't got one sign this place is going to open... isn't Madarame comin' home soon? On top of that, even if Mona's able to unlock the door, how's he gonna show it to Madarame? And then even if they do show it open, any normal person'd just close it right up again. Doesn't that mean we only got a few seconds to get in?" Skull ran his hand through his hair angrily.

"Well..." Joker paused.

"To be blunt, won't it be a miracle if this works?"

"It'll definitely work." Joker nodded reassuringly.

"I wanna think that too, but..."

"We just have to drop all the worst-case scenarios and trust in them. I know that Ann will be able to pull this off. And you should believe in her too..."

"Yeah, I guess you're right... but I can't help feeling worried about her. I mean, what if Yusuke tries some weird shenanigans on her?"

"She'll be fine. I know that."

".........."

On the other hand, Flare turned her back to her other two teammates as her eyes went down to her chest pursing her lips in disapproval before she started squeezing them lightly with her hands.

_"They're very small... no wonder why he chose Ann to be a model."_

_"No wonder why people always notice her while I feel like I'm invisible... ever since middle school."_

_"No wonder--"_

"Flare, what're you doin'? "

".......!" Alarmed from Skull's sudden question, she quickly pulled her gun out pointing it at him.

"Whoa, whoa, chill...! It's only me!"

"Dammit, Skull! Don't startle me like this!" She yelped embarrassingly as her cheeks got colored with tints of pink.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?!"

"Shut up, you moron!"

"Um, guys...?" Joker sweatdropped as he called them awkwardly.

He could see that the atmosphere was charged with electricity between them since they both were glaring at each other deadly, so he shrugged it off giving up the thought to talk to them.  
Still, it felt a little refreshing seeing Flare expressing different emotions beside quietness, seriousness, and hostility. Seeing her like this with Skull made it feel like they were real childhood friends.

"...It's almost time." Skull looked at the door.

Still a little embarrassed, Flare turned her back away from the two boys while cursing herself mentally for doing something like touching her breast in the first place.  
She wanted to punch herself so badly at that moment, but her priority was to calm down, drop that stupid idea out from her head, and focus on the mission. Yes, the mission was more important than anything else at that moment.

*******

_**\------Madarame's House------** _

Back to Madarame's shack following the chase between an artist and his model, Ann was wandering inside the dimly lit hallways of the house creating a squeaky sound every time she stepped on the wooden floor.  
Her eyes wandered around the corridors curiously while the dark blue-haired artist was desperately trying to stop her in vain.

"Please, can you just wait and--" Yusuke caught up to her while panting.

"What's past here?" Ann smiled.

"That's..."

"So the door Mona mentioned is up ahead..." Ann spoke quietly to herself.

"I keep telling you, you can't...!"

She walked again up ahead only to notice that Morgana was still not done with his task to unlock the door, much to her shock.  
At that moment, it felt like all of Ann's worst fears and nightmares manifested and was scared that the plan would fail like this.  
And if that was the case, what will happen to her once Yusuke catches up with her?

Will he force her to take off the last piece of her clothes? Or perhaps...?

"You're still not done?!" Ann whisper-shouted.

"It's hard to do this... with cat paws!"

"Is something the matter?" Yusuke ran towards her.

"Oh, ummm... sooo, what is this room?"

"It's a storage area for old paintings."

"Storage..." Ann mumbled under her breath.

"Hey, Kitagawa-Kun... why don't we... do it in here? I won't be embarrassed if we go somewhere nobody can find us..."

"Only Sensei can go in there."

"Pleeease...?! I wanna be alone with you. Somewhere like, quiet. You know, where we won't get interrupted."

"...Is he really going to buy that terrible act?!" Morgana asked while working on the lock.

"Stay focused!" Ann whisper-shouted.

"Hm?" Yusuke tilted his head.

"Ohhhh, it's just sooo frustrating that my feelings aren't getting through to you! Kitagawa-Kun, do you not like girls like me...?"

"N-No, that's not true..."

"How is that working on him?!" Morgana whispered.

"Please? We can continue this... inside..."

"S-Sure... I mean, no! We can't go in there! It's locked anyway, so..."

"Fine! This is too embarrassing... I'm leaving!" Ann puffed her cheeks.

"But..." Yusuke was taken aback.

"Let's just do it in here, OK?!"

"What do I do...?" Yusuke asked himself.

Suddenly, the shack's door swung open at the worst time possible.  
Ann shrieked at the sudden sound and felt goosebumps growing on her body. She mentally panicked at that moment and froze in her place unable to move a single muscle of her body.  
The door was still locked, Yusuke caught up to her, and Madarame came back home.  
She felt like she was really done for...

"I'm home." Madarame announced.

"S-Sensei?!" Yusuke startled.

"Yusuke?"

"All right, it's open!"

As if God finally smiled upon the poor panicked and terrified Ann, Morgana announced happily as the lock fell down on the floor making the door open before she hurriedly ran inside along with the cat.

"Huh...?" Yusuke got dumbfounded upon seeing the locked door now open.

"What are you doing there?!" Mararame walked to that area and asked angrily after seeing the unexpected sight of the opened door.

"I-It's... It's not what it looks like!" Yusuke was trying to explain.

With anger in her eyes and while gritting her teeth in pure frustration, Ann quickly stepped outside of the room, grabbed Yusuke tightly by his waist as if she was clinging her life into him, and forcefully dragged him into the dark room against his own will.

"Wha...?!"

"Not in there...!" Madarame tried stopping them.

*******

_**\------Madarame's Palace------** _

Time passed by really heavily on the young three phantom thieves as they kept waiting outside for what it seemed like an eternity, and still, nothing changed.  
Skull, however, was getting very impatient and felt like he was about to snap any minute if he had to wait any longer, and Joker could tell judging from his movements and expressions how much he was worried about Ann and her well-being. He was worried too, but he had to believe in her no matter what.

"Nothing's happen'... I wonder what's-- ...Hm?!"

As if on cue with Skull's words, the door officially opened as the lasers turned off as well making a huge grin grow on Skull's face from ear to ear.  
It was a grin of happiness and relief at the same time knowing that the plan was a success which meant that Ann really did it.

"Finally..." Joker let a deep sigh escape his lips.

"...It's off!" Skull announced "They seriously did it!"

"They're really amazing." Joker pulled a faint grin on his face.

"Yeah, for real!"

"Good thing they pulled it off." Flare commented.

"Let's go!"

Joker began running towards the door with his two teammates having a relieved smile on his face.  
Everything was going according to plan even though it seemed impossible at the beginning, but it really worked.  
However, they got blocked at the entrance by a security guard shadow in the form of a mixture between a lion and a cheetah.

"They got past the security system?! ...You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Lord Madarame's territory!" The security guard shadow threatened.

"You guys ain't got nothin' on us! I'm more scared of screwin' up and havin' Ann yell at me!"

"Captain Kidd!" He delivered a mighty thunder attack.

"God, you piss me off! Valkyrie!"

Then, Flare followed with an ice attack that took the shape of ice spears falling down at him from the air, but jumping on the side, the Shadow was able to dodge them.

"Tch..." She gritted her teeth angrily.

"Agathion!" Joker followed up next with a powerful storm that blew the Shadow away.

"Die!"

After that, Flare rushed to the Shadow by running at her top speed while pulling her gun out before she pulled the trigger causing the loud noise of exploding gunpowder to ring through the room.  
The bullet flew in the air onto the Shadow hitting him directly in the forehead, thus killing it instantly making it disappear into a cloud of black smoke.

It was a perfect shot in the bullseye.

"Taste my demise..." She muttered those words darkly.

Joker was speechless as a cold sweat rolled down his face recalling the time of her awakening when she perfectly shot a Shadow that was charging at him from behind and how few locks of his hair fell along from the contact of the bullet flying right next to his head.  
If she mistook it for only a few centimeters, she might've killed him back then.

"Phew... things're real tough when it's just me and you... It'd be a pain in the ass if we got spotted again. Anyways, let's turn off that security system!" Skull grinned reassuringly.

"Of course." Joker nodded in agreement.

"Let's go." Flare looked at the room.

*******

_**\------Madarame's House------** _

Meanwhile, Ann was having a very hard time on her own especially how the room was completely pitch black.  
She couldn't catch the simplest glimpse of her surroundings, not even her own hands, and swore that she could hear weak whimpering from Yusuke next to her.  
He must've been really scared and surprised getting caught by his Sensei like that and seeing his angry reaction in which she really understood.

"Takamaki-San, this is bad...!" Yusuke said worriedly.

"Are these the lights...?"

Ann sensed the wall with her hand before switching the turning a button on, and then the room was drowned with light much to their relief, but their eyes soon fell on the unthinkable... they witnessed dozens of the **'Sayuri'** painting rowed inside. A lot of it.

"What the..?!" Yusuke gasped in shock.

"Isn't this... **'Sayuri'**? Why are there so many of them...?" Ann's eyes widened.

"I have no idea..."

"Get out!" Madarame growled angrily as he stepped in.

"Sensei, what is the meaning of this...?"

"I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this... truth to be told... I'm in severe debt. I handmade these **'Sayuri'** copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine..."

"But why...?"

"The real **'Sayuri'**... was stolen by one of my pupils long ago. I assume they begrudged my strictness... that moment was quite a shock for me... since then, I've been mired in a terrible artist's block... because of this distress, some of my pupils handed their ideas over to me from time to time."

"........" Ann stayed quiet since they knew that something fishy was going on.

"I knew I couldn't keep that up, so I attempted to recreate the 'Sayuri' a number of times. However, it resulted in nothing more than replicas... that's when someone came to buy the printings, knowing well they weren't original..." Madarame explained "...It's all my fault, I couldn't pay the price of being famous. As expectations for me rose, it reached a point where I had no choice but to keep making them... I... needed money to further your talents... I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher..."

"Please don't...!" Yusuke's eyes brimmed with sadness.

"Hold on... something doesn't add up. If the original painting got stolen, how did you make copies of it?" Ann asked.

"I... happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it in an artbook."

"So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original? I'm not sure how this works, but... don't people who buy paintings generally have a keen eye for the fine arts? This sounds like a lie to me."

"What would you know?!" Madarame glared deadly at the girl.

"Something just doesn't feel right!"

"Lady Ann! This one seems different!" Morgana whispered.

She turned the other way around to see a certain painting covered by a big purple blanket.   
Ann hesitantly took the action and pulled the blanket off revealing yet another **'Sayuri.'**  
But that one... was different from all the others in the room. It gave a different vibe in which Yusuke recognized immediately, and Ann could feel it too.

" **'Sayuri'**...? This... this is the real **'Sayuri'**! But you just said a moment ago that it was stolen...!" Yusuke said.

"That's a replica!" Madarame had an angered look in his eyes.

"No, it's nothing of the sort! This painting kept me going... it's the reason I made it this far... Sensei... don't tell me..."

"It's fake... yes, a counterfeit! I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!"

"So you're telling me the actual artist behind the painting brought a counterfeit? That's pushing it." Ann commented.

"You're lying, Sensei... please just tell us the truth..." Yusuke pleaded.

"You too...?" Madarame pulled out his phone dialing a number "I've reported you to my private security company!"

"What?!" Ann gasped.

"I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it'd come in so handy."

"Please, wait! Let's talk about this..!" Yusuke pleaded desperately.

"You talk all you want to the police... that includes you, Yusuke."

"Lady Ann, let's run!" Morgana called as all of them ran away out of the room.

"A cat?! Where did it--there's no point! They'll be here within two minutes!" Madarame shouted.

"Takamaki-San!" Yusuke called as running after them.

*******

_**\------Madarame's Palace-----** _

The three thieves were finally able to turn the security system off after they found the control room which caused the pillars that injected the lasers to descend and disappear into the ground.   
They completed their part of the assigned mission in disabling the security, and it was all left to the cat and the girl to accomplish their own side of the plan.

"All right, looks like the security's totally off! Let's get back and meet up with the other!" Skull said cheerfully before running towards the room's entrance.

However, on the way back, Joker kept stealing glances at Flare who was running behind him recalling the memories of her perfect shots with the gun in which they honestly frightened him a little, but then... what leader is he if he felt afraid from a comrade of his? And so, he shook his head as they headed back to the entrance.

"I hope those two managed to get away..." Skull panted while holding his knees.

"I'm sure they did." Joker spoke.

".......? Guys, you better look up." Flare lifted her face upwards.

"Noooooo!"

Panther's scream came from above the three thieves as she and Yusuke fell down as a reddish dark portal opened in the air.

"Ngh...!" Yusuke caught Panther in bridal style before Morgana fell of the artist's head "Gah...!"

"Aaagh...! Owwwwww!" Mona growled in pain.

"I thought I was gonna die..." Panther's voice cracked.

"Speaking of the devil..." Flare sweatdropped.

"...Hey, will you let go already?!" Panther shouted once realizing that Yusuke was still holding her before pushing him away.

"Hrgh...!" Yusuke fell down.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to push him so hard... are you OK?! Wake up!" Panther shook him lightly trying to wake him up.

With that, his eyes fluttered open as he sat himself down on the floor holding his ached head.  
Then, he lifted his face and his eyes meet the looks of unknown four masked individuals.

"Who are you all?!"

"Calm down, Kitagawa-Kun! It's me!" Panther almost freaked out.

"...Takamaki-San? That means you two are..." Yusuke shifted his gaze between Joker and Skull.

"Surprised much?" Joker asked.

"However... I can't recognize you." He pointed at Flare.

"We met once briefly in the exhibit. I was with Ann, remember?" Flare closed her eyes.

"Ah, yes. I do remember you now, but you seem... quite different."

"Don't ask me."

Yusuke looked at Morgana commenting "I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume before though... what is this place?" He looked around him.

"We're inside Madarame's heart." Panther replied.

"Inside... Sensei's heart? I'm sorry, Takamaki-San... but are you sure you're feeling OK?" Yusuke stood up.

"She ain't lyin'. This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothin' but a greed-filled money-grubber."

"Enough of this rubbish!" Yusuke protested loudly.

"Kitagawa-Kun! Didn't it cross your mind that something wasn't right about Madarame?"

"That's..."

"You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through that Madarame's eyes." Panther looked down "...This is his true nature."

"Now you know the true nature of your Sensei, but deciding to really see it or turn a blind eye... is completely up to you." Flare remarked.

"This repulsive world...? Just who are all of you?!" Yusuke asked.

"I guess you could say... we're a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks." Skull replied with a goofy grin.

"If everything you say is true, then the Sensei I know doesn't exist..." Yusuke's voice cracked.

"You gotta snap out of it."

"Still... he has kept me safe these past ten years. My gratitude for that won't just disappear."

"You're gonna forgive him?! At this rate, you'll...!" Skull was about to say.

"N-Ngh..!" Suddenly, Yusuke collapsed on his knees while holding his head.

"Are you OK?" Panther kneeled next to him.

"I'm trying to be rational about this, but my emotions are overwhelming me..."

"Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle. The security level's gone through the roof! We need to get out of here, at once!" Mona warned.

But Yusuke wasn't feeling well at all. He was fatigued and dizzy, that perhaps the distortions of the Palace were affecting him.  
He panted heavily and could barely muster the courage to support himself on the floor.

"Here, lean my shoulder." Joker offered his hand.

"...No, it's all right." Yusuke declined while standing up.

"We need to hurry out of here!" Mona warned "That said, we have an amateur with us now. Let's try to avoid fighting as much as possible."

Listening to Mona's advice, the thieves carried on their way to escape from the Palace.  
While they were running back to the second exhibition room, Flare would steal quick glances on Yusuke who was running behind her noticing the way he was holding his abdomen and the pain on his face.   
Although she never said anything, she still felt sympathy towards him even though she didn't know him well, but felt the sorrow he was carrying inside the depths of his heart.  
After all, he came with them and witnessed with his very own eyes the true form of the man who sheltered him. Flare knew what he felt.

Betrayal... from a loving 'father' who turned out to be nothing of the sort.

"So this... is inside of Sensei's heart? A vain museum such as this...?" Yusuke asked sadly as they were running inside the exhibition room.

"It is whether you like it or not." Flare blunted.

"........" All the rest were quiet.

"Ah, this painting...!" Suddenly, Yusuke stopped his tracks upon seeing one of the paintings inside the room.

"Do you recognize it? We were thinking these might be his past pupils or something..." Panther trailed.

"But... why are there paintings of them here...?"

"Technically, those aren't actually paintings. They're the pupils themselves." Mona explained.

"Madarame saw 'em as objects, so that's what they are in here... oh, and uh... we found yours too." Skull hesitated to talk."

We'll talk more later. For now, let's get out of here." Mona suggested before running out of the room and followed by the others.

Making their way towards the SP exhibition room, the party were about to run out of that hellish museum in order to come up with a new plan now that door is open and allow Yusuke to recover.   
They were making their way towards the exit, only for their path to get blocked by two security guard Shadows.

"The exit was right there!" Mona said.

They all heard an evil and eerie laugh ringing behind them that sent shivers down their spine, so they turned back to see Madarame's Shadow who wore a traditional yellow kimono with a makeup on his face.   
With his hair was styled in a Japanese topknot looked that it closely resembled a paintbrush, as well as his eyebrows, which were bushier than his normal ones.

"Who is it?! ...What the--?!" Panther widened her eyes.

"Talk about bullshit clothes! First a king, now some kinda shogun?!" Skull shouted.

"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame..." Shadow Madarame said proudly.

"Huh...? Sensei? Is that you? That attire..."

"Disgusting." Panther commented.

"........" Flare gritted her teeth.

"It seems you all know too much. I cannot allow you to leave here alive." Shadow Madarame said.

"We're here for your Treasure." Joker said firmly.

"Hahahahaha! How naive and foolish."

"This... this is all one big lie, isn't it...?" Yusuke asked.

"My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act. Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home... under a mistress's name, of course."

"Wow, I'm almost impressed." Joker mocked him.

"Hmph. Such insincerity." Shadow Madarame nearly spat.

"If the **'Sayuri'** was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies?! If it's really you, Sensei... please tell me!" Yusuke pleaded.

"Foolish child. You still don't see? The painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!"

"What do you mean...?!" Yusuke widened his eyes.

"Let me see... how does this sound? **'I found the real painting, but it can't go public... you can have it for a special price, though...'** Haha! How's that for preferential treatment?! Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!" Shadow Madarame laughed hysterically.

"No..." Yusuke collapsed on his knees.

"The worth of art is purely subjective... thus, this is a legitimate business transaction! Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!"

"And you're proud of yourself, you worthless and sorry excuse for an artist and a teacher?! You disgust me!" Flare snapped at him.

"You keep goin' on and on about money this, money that... no wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!" Skull shouted.

"You're supposed to be an artist, right?! Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work?!" Panther asked angrily.

"Art is nothing but a tool... a tool to gain money and fame! You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke..."

"God... pissed me off... that's your teacher." Skull gritted his teeth.

"But what about the people who believe in you...? Who think you're a master artist...!?" Yusuke asked painfully.

"...I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you don't rise against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahahaha!" Shadow Madarame laughed uncontrollably.

"To think I was under the care of this wretched man...!"

"How could you do that to your student? To the person who saw you as a father and owes his life to you? Do you really have no heart at all?!" Flare shouted.

"Your painting **'Sayuri'** was pure and truly beautiful. I chose that life after becoming entranced by that work." Yusuke gripped his fingers into his shirt.

Yes, he remembered everything, when he was a child sitting on Madarame's lap and observing the **'Sayuri'** in an artbook with the biggest smile on his face, and the sparkle of amazement due to its beauty.  
He remembered how much he admired and loved it from the bottom of his heart since the first moment his eyes fell upon it.

"Why? Why have you forgotten true art?!" Yusuke shouted.

"What do you know about true art? I'll silence that arrogant, lecturing tongue right now!" Madarame shouted when four guards surrounded the thieves.

"........!"

Joker quickly moved to fire his gun at three of the Shadows, only get out of ammo before killing the last one.  
Then he turned behind him and gasped upon seeing that the last Shadow was going to attack him from behind.

"Take this!"

Skull charged at the Shadow with his bludgeon, thus finishing it off with a single blow on the head.  
Simultaneously, Flare drew out her brand new sword and began slicing a few Shadows along the way, making them turn to clouds of black smoke.  
Then, Panther grabbed him with her whip throwing him in the air, and then for Skull to jump at him finishing him off.

"Hey! They're gonna keep comin'!" Skull warned.

"If we can put a lid on it..." Mona pointed at the sculpture that had more Shadows crawling out of it.

"Where would you find that?!" Panther was holding a Shadow down with her whip.

"Ready?" Joker asked Flare as their backs were against each other.

"No need to ask." She smirked.

With that said, the two ran on the opposite side of each other each of them slaying a Shadow at the same time.  
If they got along more, the two of them would make a fearsome duo in battles which could be very beneficial to the group.

"That's enough violence!" Madarame halted when a Shadow held Yusuke hostage by his arms.

"Kitagawa-Kun!" Panther gasped.

"Don't move!" Shadow Madarame warned "Come back to me, Yusuke. Do it now and I'll forgive these transgressions. You're not like this riffraff. You're my prized cash-cow!" He smiled in a disgusting way.

".........!" Yusuke widened his eyes in both shock and disbelief.

"You thought I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas... after all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back."

"I can't believe this..."

"Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!"

"No...!"

"Naturally it was to exploit your talent, harvest the fruit, and raise you to be slaughtered like a livestock. Hahahahaha!"

Yusuke's tears began shedding uncontrollably on his face as sobs escaped him as well.   
He couldn't say anything due to the firing lump in his throat.  
Memories of his childhood with Madarame rewinded inside his head recalling how Madarame grabbed his small hand moving it around the canvas with the brush between Yusuke's fingers to teach him how to paint passionately.

"...But I'm tired of this little chat. It's time that I..." Shadow Madarame was going to say.

"...You are unforgivable." Yusuke spoke firmly.

"Hm?"

"It doesn't matter who you are... I won't forgive you!" Yusuke yelled causing Shadow Madarame to forcefully slap him on his cheek leaving a dark bruise.

"Kitagawa!" Flare cried out.

After witnessing what she witnessed, fragments of memories flashed inside Flare's mind in the shape of a male's silhouette beating the hell out of a young Emiko by repeatedly slapping her and kicking her in the stomach.  
She felt her stomach acting weirdly and an urge to throw up, so she quickly covered her mouth trying to control her breathing as she started sweating crazily.

But then, she shook her hand and gritted her teeth in pure frustration as she looked at Madarame deadly.  
Flare felt like a murderous instinct was taking control over her which urged her to slowly reach for her gun wanting to shoot him in the head, but luckily Joker's hand caught her arm before she could do something she'll regret later forever.

"Don't be reckless." Joker said calmly.

"........" She only looked silently at her leader while having a cold sweat as he let her go.

"So... you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude...? You bite the hand that's fed you all these years? You damn brat! Men! Dispose of these thieves!" Shadow Madarame commanded the Shadows.

"Get back!" Joker called.

"How amusing..." Yusuke's hair shadowed his face.

"Huh?" Panther was dumbfounded.

"Ha... hahaha... it seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm...?" Yusuke chuckled.

"Kitagawa-Kun?!"

"I wanted to believe it wasn't true... I had clouded my vision for so long... my eyes were truly blind... blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man...!" Yusuke said firmly. It seemed that a new, unbreakable resolve found its way into his heart.

_**"Have you finally come to your senses?"** _

"Ngh...!" Yusuke's eyes suddenly turned golden.

_**"How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth..."** _

_**"A deplorable imitation indeed..."** _

_**"Best you part from that aspect of yourself!"** _

"A-Aaaagh!"

Yusuke yelled from the unbearable headache falling on his knees and digging his nails into the floor until traces of blood were drawn on it.

_**"Let us now forge a contract..."** _

_**"I am thou, thou art I..."** _

_**"The world is filled with both beauty and vice..."** _

_**"It is time you teach people which is which!"** _

Then suddenly, a powerful wave of blue flames blew off blowing the guards that were holding him before a traditional Japanese fox mask appeared on Yusuke's face.

"Very well... come, Goemon!" Yusuke held the mask and ripped it off which caused blood to form on his face.

Then a crazy aura of blue flames drowned the place in the shape of a massive tornado, and when it vanished Yusuke's Persona; Goemon came to life and his clothes changed as well to a whole new different attire to a puff-sleeved black jumpsuit with a white fox tail attached off-center to a striped sash across his hips, white motorcycle boots, and bright blue gloves.

"A breathtaking sight... imitations they may be, but together, they may make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known... abominations are fated to perish!" Yusuke ordered Goemon to shoot ice at the Shadows freezing them entirely.

"Whoa, this is impressive!" Mona widened his eyes in awe.

"Hmph... who do you think you are?! The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards?! Kill them all!" Shadow Madarame ordered his guards as they popped out.

"The children who adored you as **'father'**... the prospects of your pupils... how many did you trample upon...? How many dreams did you exchange for riches?! No matter it takes... I will bring you to justice!" Yusuke shouted.

"Let's see what you're made of.k Joker nodded.

"Very well! Bring in on!" Yusuke smirked deadly at the Shadows.

"Goemon!"

The Shadows jumped up high in an attempt to charge at Yusuke, but with that call to his Persona, Goemon obeyed his new master who only swung his blade in the air as Goemon below freezing wind that caused all the Shadows to freeze in the air.  
Then, with a cool expression on his face, he returned his sword back into its sheath causing the frozen guards to shatter into many tiny snowflakes falling from the sky.  
The snowy air lingered in the room which caused the golden sculpture to freeze as well along with the Shadows that were crawling out of it.  
The other thieves' jaws were wide open upon what they had just witnessed as they looked at each other shockingly. Yusuke had just made this battle look very easy as he ended it without a single sweat.

"I learned much from you, Madarame. In order to see authenticity... one must be dispassionately realistic." Yusuke spoke firmly "With Goemon by my side... I can now ascertain your true self without any reservations!"

"Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain. I'll destroy every chance you've ever had of becoming an artist...!" Shadow Madarame growled.

"Ngh..." Yusuke collapsed on his knees after the battle from exhaustion.

"Fledgling." Shadow Madarame smirked slyly before growing wings on his back to fly away.

"Madarame!" Yusuke called him loudly.

"I'll forever rue the day you dared defy me." Shadow Madarame said as he was disappearing into the light.

"Wait! Get... back here...!" Yusuke struggled to stand up, yet collapsed on his knees again.

"Kitagawa-Kun!" Panther ran to him.

"Hey, you OK?" Joker bent at his level.

"Why can't I move?!" Yusuke was desperately trying to stand up but in vain.

"This is the aftermath of your awakening. It takes almost all of your stamina." Flare replied.

"Listen, you're totally drained. You can't do much, even if you wanted to!" Panther shook her head.

"What a disgrace I am...!" Yusuke mumbled.

"C'mon, just listen to her." Skull said calmly.

"Here." Joker held Yusuke's hand supporting him to stand up along with Skull.

"Even if we beat him here, it wouldn't solve the real problem." Mona spoke.

"We're gonna change his heart, by stealin' his Treasure." Skull said firmly.

"Change his heart?" Yusuke asked.

"That's our objective, as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Joker added.

Leaving him dumbfounded, both Joker and Skull were helping the drained Yusuke to walk along the way hardly and barely and brought him outside the exhibition room.  
Then, they all helped him sitting him on a couch to catch his breath again. He looked really weak, fatigued, and pale. His breathing was still fast and unstable and looked like he was still trying to collect himself.  
Silence filled the atmosphere as the thieves stared at each other with questioned looks as if telling the other to console Yusuke in any way possible, but they couldn't even know what proper words to tell him at that point.

"You've known for quite some time, haven't you?" Panther finally broke the silence.

"I'm no fool. Strange people have been coming by years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. But... who would want to admit that the man they owed their life to was doing such terrible things?"

"Why didn't you leave, Kitagawa-Kun?"

"Well, he is the one who painted the **'Sayuri.'** On top of that, I owe him a great debt..."

"You mean 'cause he raised you?" Skull questioned.

"I... never knew my father. I was told that my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three. That's when Sensei took me in. I heard that he helped my mother while she was still alive."

"Heard...?" Joker remarked.

"To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother either. I did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father... but he changed. To think he would treat the **'Sayuri,'** the very foundation of his art, like that...!"

"...A lot's happened to you, huh?" Skull turned his face away.

"........." Joker fell silent, not knowing what to say to all this.

Then, his eyes turned to his right before his gaze fell on the unthinkable...  
Flare froze in her place with tears rolling down her face uncontrollably and non-stop dripping down from her chin.   
She had a stunned and hurt expression on her face and didn't seem like she noticed that she was crying.

"........?!" All of her comrades' eyes widened.

"Mikki...?!" Skull's jaw was wide open.

"You... you're crying...!" Panther gasped.

"Eh?" Flare gasped softly as sensing her wet cheeks before wiping the tears away with her gloved hand.

"Are you all right?" Joker felt like his heart dropped.

"It's nothing... I'm fine." Her fingers gripped through her chest as she lowered her face down.

Joker couldn't help himself to have hurt and hesitant expression on his face.   
One of his comrades was suffering from something very painful and couldn't do anything about it.   
He didn't even know how to console her at that point, and couldn't hold her in his arms and reassure her that everything will be fine and she doesn't have to be scared of anything.

He had no right to.

"When you had mentioned plagiarism... deep down I knew you were right. That's why I so vehemently denied you... I was simply running from the truth. I'm sorry." Yusuke apologized.

"Don't worry, we understand." Joker assured him while putting his hand on the dark blue-haired's shoulder.

"I'm grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time."

"You're way too serious, man. That's why you're always gettin' stuck in your own head. Look at me! I just go with the flow!" Skull grinned.

"I can't disagree with that." Flare commented.

"For real." Panther laughed since it felt like forever since the last time she said those two words. Ever since her fight with him last year.

"What are you going to do now?" Mona asked the young artist.

"I don't know..."

"We can't help the fact that Madarame's gone and changed. But... we can change his heart. We'll make him pay for his crimes." Skull reassured.

"That reminds me, you mentioned something about that **'change of heart'** earlier..." Yusuke remarked.

"Have you heard the rumors? The ones about the Phantom Thieves that steal hearts?" Skull asked.

".....?! Don't tell me..." Yusuke trailed when more Shadows appeared.

"........?!" Alerted, Flare quickly looked behind her.

"Oh crap!" Skull gasped.

"We'll talk later! We need to scram!" Mona said.

"When did my clothes change...?" And just at that moment, Yusuke noticed that his clothes had changed.

"You just noticed that now...?" Skull sweatdropped.

"There's no time to talk! Let's go!" Joker said as running as fast as they could towards the exit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really proud of this chapter! Woohoo!
> 
> Damn, it feels REALLY good to be back in action like before! And I'm VERY happy that I was able to combine between the game and anime in Yusuke's awakening.
> 
> His child self is just SO DAMN CUTE!!! ;-;  
> PROTECT THIS BOI!!!
> 
> What did you think of the chapter? Liked it?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Aug 11/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	19. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The young artist finally facing his varmint teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, finally with an update, huh? Y'know, writing this story is not easy at all because I have to go through a lot of writing, editing, double-checking, and two stages of grammar checking. That's why. :)  
> And now, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

 

 

_**\------The Real World: Shibuya's Diner------** _

  
After successfully fleeing away from the Shadow's ambush in Madarame's Palace, the high schoolers found themselves back to Shibuya and taking a good look at Yusuke, he seemed to be in much better shape than before now that he's back to the real world.  
Looking around them, the party found themselves gathered outside of the small diner in Shibuya and thought it'd be a good place to sit down and have a serious talk.

They picked a table inside and ordered some drinks before explaining everything that has happened to Yusuke who still had a confused and lost look on his face.   
They told him the whole Kamoshida incident in detail, and everything about the Palaces, Metaverse, Treasures, and Shadows to changing someone's heart.  
At first, he was shocked and wasn't sure if he understood but as the story went on, he nodded as his expression softened now that it all started to make sense.

"...I see. And because of that, this PE teacher's had a change of heart... The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts... to think they truly exist." Yusuke stared at his reflection on the surface of his green tea.

"Well we're right in front of you now, aren't we?" Ren smiled before taking a sip from his coffee.

"Indeed, I have to believe your words. Especially after seeing a world like that... so your plan with Madarame-Sensei--" Yusuke paused his sentence correcting himself "--with Madarame is to force a change of heart, correct?"

"........" The whole group exchanged silent looks.

"Let me join... as a member of the Phantom Thieves."

"......!!" Shock arouse on their faces.

"Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well. That... is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was... in some manner, my father."

"...Civil, huh." Ann repeated.

"Sounds fine to me. We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways." Ryuji added.

"He may have a mental shutdown if we screw up. We have ways to prevent that, but they aren't fail-safe." Morgana pointed out "...Remember how we mentioned this on our way here?"

"Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. He has connections to many organizations. If someone like me raises my voice, it'll only be snubbed out... we have no option but this." Yusuke's voice held no hesitation.

"Kitagawa-Kun..."

"It's a deal then." Morgana spoke.

"You've been through a lot, right?" Emiko spoke sorrowfully.

"Hayashi-San...?" Yusuke trailed.

 _"I can tell... I've lived in fear and pain for so long that I could see clearly that he do as well... heh, what a world we live in, robbed from everything we love."_ She thought to herself while gripping her fingers tightly around her coffee cup.

"Emiko..." Ren had a sorrowful look in his eyes.

"But never mind me... anyway, we were talking about him joining us, right?" Emiko shrugged it off.

"We have a new member in the Phantom Thieves now! I hope we get along, Yusuke!" Ann smiled after calling Yusuke's first name for the first time as she hit her glass with his.

"Welcome aboard." Ren added with a smile.

"You better not slow us down." Ryuji grinned goofily.

"I'll do my best." Yusuke replied.

"Oh, and no nude paintings. Got it?" Ann asked seriously.

"So that was all a plan...? ...That's quite daring, Takamaki-San."

"It wasn't my idea--it was theirs!"

"It was technically Ryuji's idea." Emiko added.

"What else were we supposed to do?! It's his fault for goin' on and on about the nude modelin' thing!" Ryuji defended himself.

"I haven't given up on that yet, though." Yusuke added for the-matter-of-factly.

"Give it up!" Ann snapped.

"........." The rest only sweatdropped.

"Oh, that reminds me... I wonder what's going on with the real Madarame. Yusuke and I were in a pretty tight situation..." Ann remembered.

"Actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing Takamaki-San. And, just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his Shadow."

"What did he say...?" Ann asked.

"He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch one high school girl. However, he's still furious about it, and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone."

"Coward..." Emiko mumbled to herself.

"Talk about bein' completely on guard..." Ryuji mumbled.

 _"Legal action..."_ Ren thought as certain words echoed inside his head.

_**"Damn brat. I'll sue...!"** _

_"No...! I won't let this happen to anyone again!"_ He shook his head.

"Legal action... he's acting way too desperate. Maybe he still has more secrets." Ann looked at Ryuji.

"If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during the show would be his loss." Yusuke said for the-matter-of-factly.

"Right when I think the talk about being a nude model is over, this happens...?!" Ann stared at the table.

"We'll have to force a change of heart before then, if we're to dodge his **'legal action'** thing. Looks like our plan must be accomplished while the exhibit is still open!" Morgana announced making the rest nodding.

"By the way... what is this?" Yusuke asked while pointing at Morgana.

"Huh? A cat." Ryuji replied.

"But it's talking."

"And doesn't get quiet for a moment." Emiko added.

"You have a problem with that?!" Morgana turned a bit fierce.

"No, not really." Yusuke shook his head.

"Why not?" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"He's just on a different wavelength than other people." Ann pointed out.

"Do you wish to draw me? You better bring out the best of me in that case." Morgana smiled.

"Hm..."

Suddenly, Yusuke got up from his seat and reached his hand towards Ren's bag where Morgana was in, and that caused him to stiffen up and get agitated about his sudden action.

"Hey, don't touch me like--" Morgana cut his sentence when the sound of a bell rang. He just pressed the button on the table.

"I was thinking of ordering some black-bean jelly." Yusuke spoke up.

"I bet you got that idea from a **'black cat'**..." Ryuji mumbled.

"Oh...! I didn't bring any money." Realization hit Yusuke.

"...Never mind. He's just weird." Ann mumbled back to the blonde-haired.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Emiko buried her cheek into her hand.

*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc------** _

It was indeed a tiring yet fruitful day in Madarame's Palace.   
Not only they were getting closer to the Treasure, but Yusuke also awakened his power and decided to join them and help them take down Madarame. Well what they say is true, the more the merrier.  
Opening the door to the café, Ren was greeted with the usual stern stares of his guardian Sojiro who was smoking a cigarette while looking at him.

"I hope you aren't up to no good. Don't forget you're still under probation, got that? One misstep and you're finished."

"I know..."

"...No good? What's wrong about changing the hearts of criminals? We're doing the right thing." Morgana whispered from inside the bag.

_**Pi pi pi** _

And with that, he received a new IM.

_Ryuji: Legal action? This ain't funny._

_Ren: This sounds very problematic._

_Ryuji: If the police hear about this, they'll totally get in touch with the school._

_Ryuji: We'll get expelled for sure this time!_

_Ann: School would be the least of our worries... we'd end up arrested. Unlawful entry, defamation..._

_Emiko: And the list goes on._

_Ryuji: Guess that means we really can't afford to eff it up this time._

_Ann: Yeah, from here on out is what really matters._

_Ren: Then let's do it!_

_Ryuji: Hell yeah!_

"We just need to change his heart before he presses charges. Try to focus on that problem for now." Mona suggested.

"Will do, Morgana. Will do."

*******

_**\------Next Day After School: Madarame's Palace------** _

On that day after school, Ann texted Yusuke and told him to meet up with them in their hideout in Shibuya's passageway and from there they took him to the Metaverse with them.  
Once they reached their destination, his eyes slightly widened open while looking around him seeing the museum from the outside for the first time, and seeing it covered with gold was truly overwhelming.

"Oh yeah. We haven't decided on the new recruit's code name yet." Mona spoke up.

"It has to be **'Kitsune.'** You know, with that kitsune mask and everything." Panther pointed out.

"Hell yeah. That really leaves an impression." Skull agreed with a wide grin.

"Are you talking about me?" Yusuke asked.

"What do you want your name over here to be?" Panther smiled at the dark blue-haired.

"I'd say **'Da Vinci.'** "

"Nope." Skull objected.

"........!"

"Well, you've got that mask like Ann said... and there's that weird tail..."

"What are you getting at?" Flare raised her eyebrow.

"All right, you're **'Abura-age'**!" Skull exclaimed.

"That's..." Panther tried to hold her laughter.

"Snrk...!" Mona snickered.

"Very well." Yusuke closed his eyes.

"He's agreed to it?!" Mona widened his eyes.

"It's decided then: Abura-age." Skull grinned.

"Nuh-uh! Not happening!" Panther shook her finger before looking at the leader "Do you have any ideas, Joker?"

" **'Inari.'** " He held his chin.

"You've got to be kidding me." Flare face-palmed her forehead.

"And we're back to foxes again." Panther sweatdropped "Can't we just leave it as **'Fox'**?"

"Ohhh, just keep it literal, huh? Sounds good to me." Skull grinned in agreement.

"What do you think, Fox?" Mona asked the rookie.

"It's acceptable."

"It's set then. Let's go." Skull said enthusiastically earning nods from the others before heading inside the museum.

The expedition of Madarame's museum of vanity continued from where the Phantom Thieves left off the previous time, and began by walking inside the door that they opened from the real world inside Madarame's house that had the peacock pattern on, fighting a fine number of Shadows along the way that lurked in the corners there and there.  
Next, they headed into the treasure hall lounge where they discovered that they could actually walk inside the paintings and jump from one to another, making their way in and crawling inside an air duct spotting a security guard on the other side guarding the control room.

Joker decided to attack the Shadow and started first with by shooting his gun, yet the Shadow was able to block it.  
Then, Panther and Skull followed with fire and electricity after summoning their Carmen and Captain Kidd respectively, and their duo attack created an explosion and a cloud of smoke that lasted for a few moments before it vanished revealing the unharmed Shadow which caused the two blondies to gasp in surprise.  
Mona and Fox tried attacking as well with wind and ice from Zorro and Goemon, but the same scenario that happened with Panther and Skull repeated itself; the Shadow remained unharmed and unaffected.

"Our attacks don't seem to be affecting him!" Mona warned.

Out of blues, Flare dashed away from the rest of the group drawing her sword out while running and jumped up in the air delivering a mighty slash on the Shadow's body causing black goo to flow around, feeling how it became vulnerable, Joker also ran towards the enemy with his knife in his hand and slashed its body as well before jumping backwards.  
He was now standing right next to Flare who looked at him sternly before pointing her head at the Shadow, Joker understood what she meant and nodded in acknowledgment before the both of them ran together towards it delivering the final blow together swinging their blades simultaneously as one, thus finishing it off and earning the wide eyes and open jaws from their comrades.

"Holy shit, you two! That was totally epic!" Skull exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah, you were amazing! I still can't understand how that happened!" Panther followed.

"Looks like you two make a really good team, after all." Mona smirked.

"Perhaps you're right." With a monotone, Flare raised her open palm up.

"Eh?" Joker was a little surprised.

"Hurry up, before I change my mind."

Still stunned for a moment trying to process what was going on right now, Joker recalled Mona's words and it seemed like he was right.   
The two of them do make a good duo despite everything and that was proven many times already, so he smirked in satisfaction as he gave her a high five.  
Flare also smirked back after that action and mentally admitted that Mona was, in fact, right, and it wouldn't be so bad so team up with a person like Joker every now and then, and felt so _**damn**_ good to her.

"Phew, that guy was tough... I guess that's just par for the course in a Palace..." Skull trailed.

"It really was on a totally different level from the other enemies though..." Panther agreed.

Walking into the control room, Joker noticed a computer that controlled the security but needed to type the password.  
They walked outside the room and eavesdropped on the conversation of two guards behind a corner who one of them happened to spill a hint about the password written on **'Madarame's feet.'**  
While exploring the museum looking for something that might explain that clue, they stumbled upon an enormous golden statue in the shape of Shadow Madarame.   
A sign was placed next to it had a riddle and from it, Joker was able to figure out the password. He typed it after returning to the control room and disabled the security protocol by shutting down the lasers and opening more doors.

Grinding their way deeper and deeper into the Palace, the party reached an ominous room that had a golden atmosphere filling it.   
Not that only, but also golden staircases were positioned in the weirdest way possible; vertically, and in loops like an endless maze.   
The distortion was also different inside that room that the place was barely holding itself taking the shape of a labyrinth.   
That room was filled with the **'Sayuri'** paintings, but some of them were different than the others, so it was up to Joker to ascertain the genuine from fake and every time he guessed it right, they'd break through the distortion and enter a new place as the painting turned to a small light that flew and illuminated a door.

Beyond the labyrinth of truth and lies, was finally The Main Treasure Hall; the room which the Phantom Thieves aimed to ever since they discovered the museum's existence.  
Once they entered the room, Fox got alarmed as he pointed his finger to the opposite direction of the room where there was another entrance that led to yet a second room.  
There stood Shadow Madarame moving his head left and right, guarding an object surrounded by infrared lasers, thus the thieves had to peek at him from outside the entrance to see that what was behind Madarame's Shadow was actually the formless cloud of the Treasure surrounded by a rainbow-colored aura.

"There it is..." Mona mumbled.

"Doesn't it look a bit hazy?" Panther questioned.

"For the time being." Mona replied before jumping "Once we send the card and make Madarame aware it'll be stolen, it'll materialize like **'Yoohoo!'** "

"I don't believe this... why did I join them again...?" Flare shook her head while facepalming her forehead.

"I wonder what form it will take..." Fox folded his arms.

"Who knows? Bet it's something like a self-portrait." Skull spoke.

"The source of what distorted Madarame's reality this much..."

"Don't worry, Fox. We'll change his heart." Joker gave the newbie a reassuring nod.

"So, what now? Think it's safe to say we got our route set?" Skull asked.

"Hmm... we know where the Treasure is, but I'm not sure that we've necessarily secured that route..." Mona let out a distressed sigh.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"You must be talking about the infrared lasers surrounding it." Fox added.

"That, and the outer perimeter is swarming with guards. Forcing our way through will be difficult." Mona pointed out.

"So we'll need to find a way to steal it too... this is tougher than it was with Kamoshida..." Panther looked down.

"We just have to make one final push. Let's check this floor...!" Mona suggested.

With the exploration of the room, the Phantom Thieves learned the existence of a control room and with it, they shut the main power for a few seconds before the backup generator brought it back after a few seconds and opened more shutters.  
Beyond the newly-opened stutters was another control room that controlled the mechanisms of the museum, and from there climbed onto platforms hanging on the roof seeing the Treasure beneath them without lasers above it, along with a crane and a hook above as well with its lever back to the room.

The cat instructed Joker to lower the lever causing the hook to descend but brought it back up again due to Panther's warning so the guards won't be able to see it.

"Hmm, this could be useful." Mona folded his arms.

"Do you plan on descending on that hook? Would they not spot you the moment you were lowered down?" Fox questioned.

"No... not necessarily. There's something I can do to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Use the darkness, right?" Joker speculated.

"Exactly! That's our Joker!"

"Oh right... we were able to turn the lights off over in that other control room!" Panther hit her palm with her fist.

"Only for a few seconds though. There would not be enough time to make it all the way here." Fox added.

"That's why we're going to split up the tasks and work together to pull off this heist! One person will shut the power off here, two persons will lower the crane, and I'll grab the Treasure!" Mona explained.

"You sure that's gonna work? Seems to me like they'd realize what's going on at some point." Skull pointed out.

"Sometimes bald moves have the greatest payout. Unless someone has a better idea?"

"That plan sounds good to me." Joker nodded.

"Well said, Joker! You understand what being a phantom thief really means!"

"Not bad at all... for you, Mona." Flare closed her eyes.

"Hey, what does that supposed to mean?!"

"Figure it out on your own."

"Grrr..."

"Is she... always like this?" Fox whispered to the platinum blonde-haired.

"You have no idea..."

"All right, it's settled. Our infiltration route is secured!" Mona announced.

"You gotta be kiddin' me..."

"Now then, it's time for the calling card!"

And with that, the infiltration route was finally secured!

*******

**_\------Next Day After School: Shibuya's Passageway------_ **

The previous day, Morgana came up with a very reasonable yet risky plan to obtain the Treasure now that's the infiltration route was almost secured.  
And after school, the group met again to discuss the details about the calling card they were going to send.

"A calling card, hm? Will he take it seriously? He is famous, after all... he has often received slanderous letter till now, as well." Yusuke pointed out.

"He'll know best whether the crime written on it for real or not." Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"Wait. Are you going to write it again, Ryuji? That last one was questionable at best..." Morgana frowned.

"C'mon, I put a lot of effort into it! Right, Mikki?"

"Hardly... even I could tell it was you despite the fact we cut connection for three years."

"For real...?" He lowered his head in shame.

"You should do it then, Yusuke! Make it really artistic and stuff!" Ann exclaimed.

"No. It'll end with him figuring it out. He knows my drawing and writing styles all too well."

"Oh, then I'll think it up, and make it cooler!" Ryuji stood up.

"Designing a calling card, hm... interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist."

"It's decided then!"

"I think that's one more thing to look forward to." Emiko smirked.

"Great! All that's left is to make the Treasure ours! You guys better come fully prepared."

Morgana's words earned a collective nod from everyone who was present at that point before looking at each other with determined looks in their eyes.  
Ren pulled a faint smile on his face feeling genuinely happy to see the united feelings and determination of his friends to take down Madarame.  
He couldn't feel more happy seeing them as one person, not as three individual teenagers; he knew that must've been the true meaning of teamwork.

*******

_**\------The Next Day: Madarame's Exhibit------** _

On that day, Madarame's exhibit was crowded like always and he was surrounded with a lot of people who were swarming him with words of praise and questions and answered them all with his signature smile.  
Yusuke was with him as well but having a blank expression on his face since he knew how this day will turn out to be, after all.

"Pardon me, sir. There's a matter we need to notify you about..." An exhibit staff member approached Madarame who was surrounded by visitors.

"Please excuse me for a moment." Madarame walked away so he won't disturb the guests as Yusuke was watching him from a distance.

"What is it...?" Madarame asked.

"We found this outside..." The exhibit staff member showed him the calling card.

"A letter?"

"It's... uh..." The exhibit staff member trailed as Madarame took the card.

" **'Sir Ichiryusai Madarame,**  
**a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'** " The exhibit staff member read the letter.

"Whose doing is this...?!" Madarame crumpled the paper angrily.

"We don't know! The same letter has been posted everywhere..."

"What about the security cameras?"

"There were no signs of the culprit... all we saw was a cat in the recordings..."

"Remove these at once!"

"Of course!" The worker replied at a pissed Madarame who threw the crumpled paper.

"Um..." The exhibit staff member trailed.

"...What now?!"

"It's about this affecting the exhibit... we believe it's just a prank, but what of the mass media?"

"Are you insinuating that this slander is true...?" Madarame stomped his foot on the ground aggressively.

"Of course not!"

The surrounding turned into a dark and empty void as Madarame's Shadow appeared which was alone along with Yusuke.

"It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it? Well, it means nothing... they'll only be able to do as they please until this exhibit is over..." then Madarame's Shadow spoke before disappearing.

Yusuke got out from his hiding spot walking towards the rest asking "Will that do...?"

"Yup! It was perfect! The composition was way cooler too!" Ann exclaimed.

"Hmm, not half bad." Emiko admitted.

"The Treasure should appear right about now." Morgana pointed out.

"You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man." Ryuji said.

"Madarame..." Ren narrowed his eyes.

"Anyways, d'you guys check online? People are already talkin' about that callin' card. We'll show 'em... we're gonna surprise 'em all!"

"I'm sure you know, but we only get one shot to pull this off!" Morgana reminded.

"I'll be counting on you, guys." Ren said as stretching his arm.

"We'll be counting on you too, Ren." Ann added as placing her hand on top of his.

"We'll kick his ass!" Ryuji exclaimed while putting his hand on Ann's.

"Let's finish this." Emiko followed.

"You have no reservations about this either, right, Yusuke?" Morgana asked while putting his pawn on Emiko's hand.

"Of course not." Yusuke placed his hand over Morgana's pawn "...We'll do this."

All of them raised their arms together up high, then left the exhibit together.

*******

_**\------Madarame's Palace------** _

After successfully sending the calling card and causing Shadow Madarame to be provoked and increase the security level crazily, The Phantoms returned back the location of the hook's lever in order to execute Mona's crazy plan.

"It's finally time..." Skull said.

"There will be no turning back once we begin the operation." Fox added.

"And if worst comes to worst, we might have to fight." Panther looked down.

"That's right. Are you ready Joker and Flare?" Mona asked.

"I'm ready." Joker smirked confidently.

"Ready." Flare nodded.

"OK! Everyone to your positions!" Mona announced.

Everyone took their positions ready to begin the operation. Panther, Skull were outside the security room's door on both sides hiding from enemies on a hand and trying to think of a way to enter the room on the other hand.

"There's an enemy inside, just as expected..." Panther sighed.

"I mean, we've done a ton in here. It ain't surprisin'."

"Well, that's true..."

"Anyway, I'm gonna try and draw it out... so I'll leave the switch to you guys."

"Will you be OK...? What if it catches up to you...?"

"Heh, don't underestimate an ex-runner. I'm definitely gonna shake it off...!" Skull laughed.

"You're right..." Panther trailed with a smile and blush on her face.

"Heyyy, there's some weird people over here! Heyyy, I need helllp!" Skull shouted while banging on the glass door before running away.

"Hm?! What's the matter?!" A security guard Shadow left the room to check on the situation out.

"You'd better make it, Skull...!" Panther said as walking inside of the security room.

"Ryuji... please be safe..."

On the other hand, Flare was tying Mona tightly on a large hook with a rope they brought with the help of Fox.

"Is this good?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, it's perfect!" Mona replied with a smile.

"You seem to be enjoying this."

"Only the best can appreciate these critical moments. Plus, this feels like we're really phantom thieves!"

"........" Flare wasn't commenting on the whole conversation as her gaze was focused on a specific direction.

Her indigo-colored eyes were located down on Joker who was waiting for his teammates' signal by the lever of the hook.  
He had the usual stern and focused look in his eyes with his hands in his pockets like always, his posture was confident and determined as usual and had his vision locked on the lever while waiting.  
The pale blue-haired girl kept staring at him standing down not saying a word before he lifted his face up causing his gaze to meet with Flare's.  
Their pupils met with the other for some time staring deeply to each other, but then Joker broke the eye contact by giving his fellow phantom thief a small smile before returning his gaze to the lever.

"........" Flare fell quiet.

"Is something the matter, Flare?" Fox asked worriedly, noticing her silence.

"No, I was just thinking about something."

"We'll be counting on you, Mona. And Panther as well." Fox said before looking at the room's glass where Panther was waving to her.

"There's Fox's signal...! That means they're ready to go! Good luck, everyone! Let's do this...!" Panther said before shutting off the main power.

Then it was moments before the entire area was drowned in utter darkness.

"What's this? What happened?" Shadow Madarame shouted.

"Joker, now!" Fox shouted making the leader pull the lever down.

"Hyaaaaaaaaah!"

Mona was going down fast towards the treasure that looked like a rectangular object covered with a piece of cloth before grabbing it successfully.

"What are you doing? Get the lights back on!" Shadow Madarame ordered aggressively.

"Sorry for the wait!" Panther said as she got back.

"My bad! It took me ages to get that guy off our trail!" Skull panted as he returned.

"You're safe!" Panther exclaimed while hugging Skull tightly.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his body as a big smile plastered on her lips since so many bad scenarios were roaming her head about the guards catching him, so seeing him safe and sound made her feel like she was the happiest girl in the world.

"Whoa!" Skull tensed up and felt like he was going to blush.

"Oops! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Panther apologized nervously after quickly pulling out from the sudden hug.

".........." Flare stared at them quietly before stealing a quick glance at Joker recalling the memory of him holding her hand back at Madarame's shack when Yusuke attempted to draw Ann the first time.

"Wait... where's Mona?" Panther looked around her.

As if on cue with her words, they all saw Mona coming up tied with the hook and holding the treasure as well between his paws with the biggest smile ever on his face.

"Hehehe! How's that for a skilled plan?" Mona laughed.

"That was amazin', Mona!" Skull exclaimed.

"Hm, I'm almost impressed." Flare held her chin.

"Lord Madarame! Th-The piece is gone!" A security guard shadow warned.

"Ngh... how dare those vermin... but now we'll corner them like the rats they are! Lock all the doors at once! They have nowhere to run!" Shadow Madarame ordered.

"So? What'd the treasure turn out bein'? I'm guessing it's a paintin' based on the shape." Skull said.

"We can look into that later. For now, we must escape." Fox pointed out.

"Yeah, it's time to go!" Mona agreed.

The Phantom Thieves ran back towards the courtyard of the museum by jumping out from a window near them to scram the hell out of that godforsaken place.  
But jumping down from it onto the ground, they looked around and saw themselves in a very familiar area they've been into before.

"Is this... the courtyard?" Skull widened his eyes.

"I knew it! All that security would've been meaningless if it just led back inside!" Mona exclaimed.

"Something's not right here..." Flare's gaze darted left and right.

"It seems we managed to escape their siege." Fox commented.

"Mrrrr... meowww..." Mona began purring.

"Dude... why's Mona gettin' excited now of all times...?" Skull widened his eyes.

"I just can't take it anymore! Let's take a look at this Treasure...!"

With sparkly eyes, Mona started tearing the paper that was covering the painting and opened the Treasure as he literally threw his entire body on it while purring happily.

"Treasure! Hrm?!" Mona dumbfounded after he noticed that the Treasure was nothing but a painting of a meme face.

A clear sign of trolling the thieves which caused Flare to facepalm herself yet again for not seeing this one coming.

"What the... a doodle of a face?" Panther knelt down.

"THIS is the treasure?!" Skull shouted.

But looking around him very carefully and thoroughly, Joker felt like that something fishy was going on due to this stupid little prank, and his gut feeling turned out to be true as four pillars were risen from the ground and had electricity surrounding them as if they were ready to shoot it on them.

"Everyone, step back!"

Joker quickly warned his teammates earning surprised gasps from them as the pillars activated and shot the electricity taking the form of a square that surrounded the fake painting, but luckily the rest were all safe since they all stepped back before that happened.

"That coward bastard...!" Flare gritted her teeth angrily.

"Meddlesome vermin." Shadow Madarame came with two security guards.

"You...!" Flare hissed.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Shadow Madarame pointed at one of the guards who was carrying a painting.

"What nonsense that you used a mousetrap on me!" Mona furrowed his eyebrows.

"So you had a fake prepped, huh?!" Skull narrowed his eyes.

"A cheap move that suits a cheap person like you." Flare spat.

"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art." Shadow Madarame said.

"What made you change like this?! Is it because you become famous? Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father?!" Fox asked painfully.

"...Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing... that's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created--they're all MY works of art!"

"How low can you sink...?" Panther asked disgustingly.

"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die--a glimpse of the genuine **'Sayuri'**...!" Shadow Madarame grinned devilishly.

"Genuine...?" Fox trailed.

With that said, the guard that was holding the painting lifted it up to reveal yet another **'Sayuri,'** but it was not like any of the others the thieves had seen already.  
The purple cloud which was surrounding the beautiful woman was gone, and instead, she was carrying a baby in her arms. So that was the secret behind her mysterious smile, after all...

"There's a baby." Joker pointed.

"The **'Sayuri'**? But it's a little different. There's no smoky stuff by her chest." Panther stated.

"That's... the real **'Sayuri'**...? This can't be...! Mom...!" Fox gasped.

"Huh?!" Skull dumbfounded.

"Your... mom?!" Flare gasped as well.

"Indeed it is. This was painted by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of **'Sayuri'** 's expression!"

"You stole something THAT personal...?!" Skull objected.

"I don't believe it..." Flare hissed again.

"........!" Joker's eyes grew in terror.

"I knew at first glance. I knew it'd be a huge success, if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!"

"But the baby in the picture... why did you over paint it...?" Fox asked.

"...It was all to stage it. If the baby is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery...! That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"

"I always felt something was off about all this... now I know what it is. If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn't even think about replicating it for profit! You don't love art at all!" Panther shouted at his face.

"Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!" Mona added.

"It makes me laugh, asshole!" Skull gritted his teeth.

"You're nothing more than a faker calling himself an artist! You're pathetic!" Flare swung her arm angrily.

"So you'll defy me no matter what... well then, since you're my work of art, Yusuke. I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future... along with those insolent friends of yours there."

"I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like they're objects... you're inhumane!" Panther pointed her finger at him.

"........." The dark-haired leader lowered his face.

"Fox?" Mona called him worriedly.

"I've heard that you destroy your **'art'** once they outlive their usefulness... did that include my mother as well?" Fox asked.

"She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. That's when a thought crossed my mind... if I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached."

"No... you let her... die?!" Panther widened her eyes.

"What...?!" Joker took a step backward.

No, he really let her die? He really even allowed himself to kill her so coldly like that? And he was even laughing about it like he was proud of the achievement of taking a person's life.   
He even admitted that he had the full intention of not calling for help, so he technically murdered her.  
The leader couldn't maintain himself and stay calm after learning that since he started sweating heavily since Shadow Madarane's words triggered an awful memory locked deep inside Joker's head.

_**"Ren, RUN!"** _

_**"MOM!"** _

_"N-No...!"_ He violently shook his head.

"She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure. Above all Yusuke, didn't you think it was odd--that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind **'Sayuri.'** "

"You killed her...!" Fox got extremely pissed off.

".......!" Flare's face went pale.

"The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. If I'm to steal ideas, it's much easier robbing the future of brats who won't talk back than adults. It's thanks to you that I came up with the idea. You have my gratitude."

"You rotten son of a bitch!" Skull gritted his teeth.

"What you did was unforgivable." Panther was no less angry than him.

"He... hehehe..." Fox was unexpectedly chuckling.

"Yusuke...?" Panther asked.

"I thank you, Madarame...! Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist... you're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!" Fox shouted.

"All you good-for-nothings...! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want..." Shadow Madarame said was about to get berserk at any moment when the reddish dark aura surrounded him.

"Those who have connections make the rules: those who don't, follow them. Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules of the art scene! I am there supreme being! I am the god of the art world!"

"This isn't good. Get back!" Mona warned the rest.

Shadow Madarame was laughing hysterically as the reddish dark aura enveloped his body wholly, and finally went berserk and transformed a set of four paintings that show different parts of his face ---two eyes, his nose, and his mouth--- as the Phantom Thieves took their battle positions.

"I'll paint all over you!" Shadow Madarame spoke loudly.

"Bring it on!" Joker called.

"Now... let's begin, you vermin!"

"You used others for your own despicable desires, Madarame... you aren't even worth the art you **'create'**...!" Fox shouted.

"Guys, don't lose focus! There's no telling what he'll try!" Mona said.

"Eat this! Carmen!"

Panther summoned her Persona before shooting a deadly fire attack on all the four paintings creating a thick cloud of smoke, but when it vanished it revealed that the enemy remained unharmed, much to their surprise.

"What?!" Skull was taken aback.

"No way!" Panther took a step backward.

Deciding not to waste any more time, both Joker and Flare dashed to the portraits as the dark-haired attacked the mouth portrait with his knife and the girl attempting to slice the nose portrait before they both jumped back, but it seemed like their efforts were gone in vain since a light blue aura surrounded them and healed them in the process.

"Dammit...!" Flare hissed.

"What's with him? Our attacks aren't working!" Mona gritted his teeth in frustration.

However, one of the eye paintings shot a powerful fire spell on Panther, sending her flying backward while a painful scream escaped her lips as she fell forcefully on her back.

"Ann!" Skull cried out.

Then, the portrait of the mouth fired a dark and sticky ink out at Panther who quickly reacted to block it by hitting the ink with her whip, but that only caused some of the ink to spill on her body and face which made her close them in return.

"What is this?!" Panther freaked out.

"Are you okay?" Skull rushed towards her.

"I'm fine!" Panther attempted to stand up, but felt lightheaded and fell down again.

"H-Hey!"

"I feel weak..."

"His attack snaps our strength! Be careful, everyone!" Mona warned.

But with that warning, Shadow Madarame shot ink again at the thieves multiple times.  
Fox and Flare were able to jump on the sides to dodge it, so did Mona and Joker, but Skull quickly lifted Panther up from the floor carrying her in bridal style who yelped in surprise before jumping away to dodge the enchanted ink.

"Have, have some more!"

Shadow Madarame laughed as he went on a rampage of shooting the paint in every direction and corner possible there and there, causing the thieves to rush and hide behind plants.  
While temporarily hiding in safety, Skull placed Panther down and looked angrily at Shadow Madarame with a growl, but she still looked at him feeling heat rush to her cheeks. What Skull just did was reckless, but heroic at the same time.

"His cognition covers things with paint. Because of that, Madarame is convinced he can control anyone!" Mona explained.

"Dammit!" Skull growled.

"We're getting nowhere like this!" Fox said as he was running and dodging the Shadow's attacks.

"Any brilliant ideas?" Flare asked while jumping around.

"That's..."

While running, Joker spotted buckets of black paint placed on the floor which caused him to stop his tracks to observe them before smirking to himself as an idea had just popped in his mind.

"The same stuff Madarame is using?! If we can use it to paint over him..." Mona looked at Joker seriously.

"Leave it to me." Fox walked over with a determined look on his face.

"Please." Joker smiled softly at the newest member.

"That's good." Mona felt a little relieved.

"Flare, we need you to cause a distraction." Joker told the girl who landed next to them after all that jumping and dodging.

"Got it." She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Joker? I mean, you two don't really get along even if you make a great duo here..." Mona whispered to him.

"Don't worry, I trust Flare." Joker whispered back before stealing a quick glance at her.

"Giving up already?" Shadow Madarame laughed before Joker, Mona, Skull, and Flare ran towards him.

He shot fire on them creating a wave of wind in which Skull responded by firing from his shotgun at both the eyes' paintings.   
Mona jumped out of the smoke hitting the nose painting with his sword, Joker jumped up to tear an eye with his bladed weapon, but Shadow Madarame knocked him back with his mouth causing him to fall on top Skull knocking him down along as well.

"Huh?!" Mona freaked out looking behind him before he got thrown away as well by a fire spell from behind him.

"Is that the best you've got?! Time to finish you off!" Shadow Madarame laughed.

"Hey, Madarame! Why don't you pick on someone from your size?" Flare asked him mockingly while spinning her gun with her finger from the handle's hole.

"You little brat!"

Provoked by her challenge, Madarame began shooting more ink from his mouth at the girl who went on dodging every attack of his by jumping on the sides skillfully and swiftly.  
Joker knew she'd be the perfect distraction given her agility and reflexes and could dodge the enchanted ink easily, and that's why he chose her.  
The Shadow again shot another direct ink shot towards Flare who quickly fell on her back as the ink flew on top of her before jumping back on her feet.

"Now!" She called.

"Madarame!" Fox shouted on top of his lungs before throwing the paint on all the four paintings by spilling it and painting it with a brush.

"I'm losing strength..." Shadow Madarame's voice grew weaker.

"All right! Come, Leanan Sidhe!" Joker summoned a Persona that shot fire on the opponent.

"What...?!" Flare widened her eyes.

_"That's not the same Persona he summoned the last time...!"_

_"Wait, so that means that Ren is the other Trickster--the other Wild Card that Igor mentioned?!"_

"Follow up on that, Zorro!"

"Captain Kidd!"

"Carmen!"

"Valkyrie!"

It was a massive elemental All-Out Attack made from fire, electricity, and ice that flew towards the opponent simultaneously which caused all the four paintings to fall down on the ground creating a huge stain of sticky black paint in which the paintings melted into.  
The puddle then wrapped around itself taking the shape of Shadow Madarame before he went berserk kneeling down on the floor.

"The real Madarame's out!" Mona exclaimed as all of them surrounded him.

"Dammit... I'm the great Madarame..." Shadow Madarame growled "The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit. I'm not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy...!"

"Madarame..." Fox walked towards him with a deadly tone "Prepare yourself! Come, Goemon!"

He ordered his Persona to throw down a huge piece of ice on him who screamed in terror as the iceberg fell on him creating an icy wind blowing all over the room.  
Despite the attack, Shadow Madarame still crawled towards the **'Sayuri'** which was laying on the floor shrieking while clinging into it and hugging it tightly and desperately when Fox walked over him and took a few steps backward because of that.

"Eek...! No one cares for true art... all they want are easily recognizable brands...! I'm a victim in this too...! Wouldn't you agree?!"

"Excuses now...?" Skull shook his head.

"You pathetic sorry excuse for an artist." Flare followed.

"The art world revolves around money after all... you can't rise up without any money... Yusuke, you understand, don't you? Being a poor artist is truly miserable...! I just didn't want to return to that life!"

"A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art! You're done for, along with this abominous world!" Fox grabbed him from the collar while glaring at him.

"No, please! Just... don't kill me...!" Shadow Madarame pleaded before Fox let go of his collar violently as he started coughing.

"Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes--all of them!"

"Y-You're not going to kill me...?"

"Swear it!"

"All right... all right!"

"Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?" Shadow Madarame asked looking paranoid.

"Hm...?" Fox's eyes widened slightly.

"Who...?" Joker questioned.

"A black mask? Wait, who's he talking about...?" Panther asked.

"It can't be... there was another intruder besides us within this Palace...?!" Mona widened his eyes.

However, the museum started shaking violently telling the thieves that it will collapse and turn to debris if they don't hurry out of that place.

"There's no time! Hurry!" Skull called.

Mona jumped into the air turning into a van when he landed on the ground."

Get on!" He called as the group ran to it.

Fox was going to follow them carrying the real **'Sayuri'** as Madarame's Shadow spoke "Hey, Yusuke... what should I do?"

  
"...Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once."

"Yusuke!" Panther called from inside Mona.

Fox left the Shadow alone hopping into the car leaving the soon-to-be collapsed Palace behind along with its owner.  
He left the Shadow of the person he once thought as a father all by himself with the weight of the sins he committed but before entering the Monamobile, the new phantom thief looked back briefly at the crying figure of his foster father feeling a tinge of sadness taking control over him, but shook his face before following his comrades.

"No, wait! Please! Yusuke! Yusukeee!"

The cries of Madarame's Shadow seemed to vanish as the Monamobile drove away with Joker taking the steering wheel, barely able to dodge the falling debris from the ceiling, but he continued to drive away since their lives were depending on it until he managed to reach the outside of the museum safe and sound which made to quickly activate the Meta Nav, wrapped into the dark vortex as the museum fell down entirely as a whole into the ground.

*******

_**\------The Real World: Front of Madarame's Shack------** _

Panting from the adrenaline rushing through their bodies, the teenagers stood up to find themselves standing in front of Madarame's shabby shack where Yusuke lived most of his life and even called it home.  
His eyes fell upon the **'Sayuri'** which was laying down on the ground and picked up, gracefully running his fingers so gently over it as a wave of sadness and grief started overwhelming him.

"The destination has been deleted."

"It would be bad if people started getting suspicious of us. We should leave at once." Morgana stated.

"Yusuke, c'mon." Ryuji looked at the dark blue-haired.

However, Yusuke was daydreaming by looking at the beautiful face of his mother in the painting admiring her beauty for the millionth time.  
He grew up seeing a picture of the **'Sayuri'** in an art book in the shack, but knowing it's his mother made him experience new feelings entirely; nostalgia mostly, but then he went back to reality by Ryuji's words.

"Right... goodbye, Sensei."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup, guys?
> 
> I'm actually proud of the Ryuji x Ann moments I put in here.  
> #TeamRyuAnn where are you at?! 🙋🙋🙋
> 
> I can't believe that Madarame's Arc is coming to an end so soon. It's been an amazing adventure so far, don't you agree?
> 
> And I assure you, starting from this point onward a lot of things are going to change and be revealed, especially about Ren and Emiko so wait patiently for that~ 
> 
> What did you think of the chapter? Liked it?
> 
>  
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Tue/Aug 20/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	20. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken memories roaming endlessly in their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. God! I must be faster than Sanic! 😂😂😂  
> The thing is, I wanted to write this chapter for quite some time so I got excited and started writing quickly!  
> So I'm spoiling you, dear readers; you must be very happy now~  
> And now the next update is here, so BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

 

 

  
**_\------Shibuya's Passageway------_**

The operation was an absolute success, so the young high schoolers felt like they can finally take a breather and rest assured knowing that Madarame will have a change of heart very soon and that nightmare that surrounding Yusuke day after day ever since he was a child will finally be over at last.

Then again, there was the thing that Madarame's Shadow mentioned about a black-masked individual who also has the ability to access the Metaverse which made them feel agitated and a bit at edge.   
It was really a very concerning matter knowing that there was another individual who had access to the other world aside from them, and that was truly troubling to the high schoolers the more they think about it.

On the other hand, Yusuke was carrying the **'Sayuri'** portrait staring deeply at every feature of the beautiful woman drawn in it, especially since it was the first time he saw it in person and couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful it was while gently and delicately stroking his fingers over it afraid he might ruin it and turn it to dust.  
Everything had finally fallen in place, why he felt that rush of emotions the first time he saw it in Madarame's art book, and why he felt happy, safe, and loved every time his eyes fell on it and kept asking himself whether he was dreaming or not.

But it was no dream. No, it was the reality.

"I guess the mission was a success. All that's left is to see if he had a change of heart or not." Ryuji spoke after taking a sip from a can he carried "Ugh, so bitter... why'd you get it black?"

"The **'Sayuri'**..." Yusuke trailed.

"You're not gonna get all teary-eyed and say stuff like **'Mom...!'** are you?" Ryuji slightly widened his eyes.

"To think that this painting was the source of Madarame's distorted desires. The only saving grace is that my mother won't know of what transpired..." Yusuke smiled to himself in satisfaction.

"........." Ren twirled his finger around his dark locks.

"However... my only regret is not taking Karen's words seriously and she ran away..." Yusuke looked down.

"Karen...? Who are you talking about?" Emiko fixed the position of her glasses.

"Please do not mind me." Yusuke smiled reassuringly.

"The genuine painting at his atelier has been altered, after all... ironic as it may be, this one here is her true self-portrait now." A wave of sadness washed over Morgana's voice.

"...It's a wonderful painting. And... although it took some time, it's in your hands now, Yusuke." Ann spoke.

"...I'm thankful for it. However, it's impossible for this painting to be acknowledged by society anymore..." Yusuke remarked.

"I'm curious though, Yusuke... was **'Sayuri'** your mom's name?" Ren asked out of curiosity.

"No. I doubt it's the name of any woman in particular. I bet it was to make it more mysterious--just a part of Madarame's foolish staging."

"Well, it would've been obvious that he plagiarized it if he had used the real name." Morgana stated.

"So this is my mother... there's no way that I would remember her face clearly... but I was right about the rush of emotion I felt when I saw this painting." Yusuke smiled to himself gratefully.

"To think that you were emotionally connected to the printing, even though you didn't know that she was your mom..." Emiko mumbled.

"........." Ren brought his hand close to his chest as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Along with the chat, Ryuji stood up again and walked away a few steps away from the group towards a vending machine before returning back to them with a bottle of soda.  
He was gulping it down in huge amounts down his throat as he walked back to his friends next to Ann, but then he suddenly burped right into the platinum blonde-haired's face.

"Stop that! That's so gross!" Ann yelped.

"You're so vulgar, Ryuji." Morgana commented.

"You've never changed..." Emiko trailed while sweatdropping.

"So, what're you gonna do now? We're gonna keep targetin' big shots." Ryuji looked at Yusuke.

"...Why do you do such things?" Yusuke questioned.

"It's to get back at scumbags and like... society in general? We also wanna give courage to the people that're suffern' 'cause of selfish adults."

"That's us, the Phantom Thieves." Ren added.

"Courage, hm... what good does that do? You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm not sure..." Ren looked down.

"........." Light shone on Emiko's glasses, thus covering her eyes.

"Right. There's no knowing that. We just have to give it a try." Ann stated.

"...In other words, it all depends on the person, hm? Then the same can be said about myself right now. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act. Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire." Yusuke pulled a close-eyed smile.

"You really only think about art, huh? You're impressive." Ryuji grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?" Yusuke reminded.

"No worries! I've got us covered!" Ann winked, making the rest sweatdrop heavily.

"Are you absolutely certain about that...?" Emiko trailed while sweatdropping.

"Plus, we have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously." Ann added.

"How about it, Ren? We can give our calling cards more oomph if we have Yusuke on the team." Morgana suggested excitedly.

"Again, I look forward to working with you." Ren smiled while offering his hand to the new recruit.

"I will try and live up to those expectations, Ren." Yusuke smiled reassuringly as he shook the leader's hand.

The brown-haired girl firmly and quietly observed the scene of the Phantom Thieves' leader and the new recruit shaking hands, while smiling at the other as the other two blondies were grinning sheepishly at such a heartwarming scene before exchanging eye contact and smile at one another.  
As that scene unfolded right before Ren and Yusuke broke their shake, the slightest smirk plastered on her face as her lips curved upwards.

"At any rate, I'm curious... another intruder besides us, huh?" Morgana questioned.

"Our only clue's a black mask, so that doesn't necessarily mean it's just one person, right?" Ann asked.

".........." Ren grunted in annoyance.

"I wonder..." Emiko held her chin.

"But there's no way to check anymore. The Palace is gone." Ryuji reminded.

"I'll try probing Madarame. I may be able to learn something from him." Yusuke furrowed his eyebrows.

"Are you sure? I mean--" Ann shut her mouth before saying any further word.

"I'll contact you all if anything turns up." Yusuke added.

"We should probably exchange our contact info with you then." Ann stated.

Earning a unanimous nod from each person who was present at that point, everyone gathered closely while pulling their phones out exchanging their IDs and contact info together by sending them to the other so that they can add Yusuke to the group IM chat.

"An artist and a phantom thief... it seems I'll be engaging in two trades from here on... very well. You only live once, after all. Still, the incident about this other intruder does concern me a little..." Yusuke admitted.

_**"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of The Emperor Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."**_ These words rang inside Ren and Emiko's heads.

  
*******

_**\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------** _

It was finally over, that hellish battle against Shadow Madarame and his tyranny will finally be done sooner or later.  
Ren was smiling to himself happily all the way home from the hideout and back to the café, and yet exhaustion was very visible on his face after the events that unfolded that day.  
The moment he set foot in Leblanc, Sojiro noticed how much tired Ren looked and let him climb the stairs up to his room without even asking him anything especially since he thought he just had a tiring day at school, and so the high schooler walked past him without hearing any word from his guardian.

The raven-haired slowly climbed the stairs up to the attic, and there he placed his bag on the table making Morgana hop out of it and make his way to the bed by jumping up to it.  
With a heavy and distressed sigh of tiredness, he threw his body down to the bed while massaging his temples with his fingers while breathing deeply as the thought of the existence of another Metaverse user lingered in his mind troubling him a lot as he thought about it.  
But then, he felt more tired just thinking about it, so he shook his head wanting to change his clothes and sleep.

"Not only have we dealt with our second big target, we even have a new addition to the team! Goodness, things are going so well!" Morgana exclaimed happily.

"It's all thanks to you, Morgana."

"Ahhh! If only I could make a certain, stupid Ryuji learn from you... but I have to say, you sure are something special. This is our sixth Persona-user. It'll help broaden our battle strategies as well. Besides, having an eye for beauty is a must for phantom thieves. We're lucky to have Yusuke. An artist is a talent you rarely come across."

"I agree. I know that he'll do well as everyone else did. Ryuji, Ann, and Emiko."

"I mean, he IS a bit strange, but still... an artist, huh... what kind of person do you think I was? There's no way I'd turn out to be some bad guy in the end, right?"

"What do you mean? Something's wrong?" Ren asked worriedly.

"I get so engrossed with the embodiment of human desires... and that's not all. When it comes to the Metaverse, I'm the only one who can transform into a car... I'm special... but it's still odd. Who could I actually be...?"

"I think that you were a human if you want my opinion."

"You really think so? What a half-assed answer. Well, there's no way someone like me, who has honorable aspirations, can be evil. A man who saves those in trouble in the west, while punishing evildoers who may lurk in the east! A man who chastises people that smoke inside in the south, while saving bullied cats in north! A man who has a sturdy body and vows to always do one good deed a day, be it rain or shine. I'm that kind of ideal person... or so I hope."

"Since when you become so poetic...?"

"So if I turn back to being human... surely she'll take notice of me, won't she?"

"You like someone, Mona?" Ren raised his eyebrow.

"Me?! Don't be ridiculous! People chase after me when it comes to love! Where should I go when I become human...? I wonder where she'd like to go... an amusement park, a movie theater, a fancy café, shopping..." Morgana was daydreaming as his eyes sparkled causing Ren to sweatdrop.

"What do you think?" Morgana smiled.

"I think my bond with Morgana is growing deeper..."

_**Magician Arcana: Rank 3** _

After that heartwarming conversation with Morgana, Ren covered his mouth as he yawned loudly making Morgana yawn as well while stretching his limbs.  
Knowing that he was going to pass out at any moment, Ren hurriedly changed his clothes to his pajamas, turned off the lights, and laid on his bed with Morgana curled next to him like usual.  
His eyelids felt heavy and were about to close on their own the second his head hit the pillow, and that exactly what happened as he closed his eyes and drifted away to the world of dreams.

*******

_**\------The Velvet Room------** _

Though everything was pitch black in his vision, Ren could clearly hear metal clunking in his ears along with the faint sound of water dripping in the distance.  
Though he couldn't see anything since darkness was his only companion at that moment, he could feel numbness running through his arms and legs as his back laid on a hard surface.

"........!"

Ren's fluttered open as a hitched breath escaped him and blinked several times since his vision was still a bit blurry but could see a ceiling above him and four cramped walls around.  
Still feeling lightheaded, the dark-haired adjusted himself by sitting down and holding his aching head as his vision started clearing up, only to get greeted by the now-familiar sight of the Velvet Room's prison cell.  
Then, he got up from the wooden bed he was sitting on and walked towards the cell's door to see Igor's usual sly smirk and his bloodshot eyes staring intensely at him as if he was staring at his own soul, causing a cold sweat to roll down on Ren's face.

"You have expelled one who was stained in vanity. You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation. It's a delightful thing indeed." Igor spoke delightfully.

"Our master is pleased. You should be honored, Inmate." Justine added with her usual calm voice.

"However, the man's remarks are concerning. It seems another has made their way into the Metaverse." Igor added.

"Is that true? Who could it be?" Ren nearly jumped.

"That is beyond my knowledge... but your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly." Igor added "...That is for certain. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper." He eyed the inmate even more "...I have high hopes of you."

"Be aware, Inmate." Justine suddenly spoke "An unknown and dark presence swirls around you."

"Our warning's for your own good, so you better stay on your toes!" Caroline scuffed like always.

Ren opened his mouth attempting to say something or at least ask about what the warden twins meant with their mysterious words, but that was when the bell rang indicating that Ren's time was up in this world and his consciousness will drift back to the real world now.

"W-Wait--"

Ren wanted to get more info on what the twins were talking about, but his limbs grew numb again, his head felt heavy, his breath quickened, and his vision blurred.  
The last thing he remembered was the blurry image of Igor's sly smirk at him, and the twins' intense glances at him as his body began falling down and blacked out only to get pulled back to his real world.

*******

_**\------Hayashi's Residence------** _

The squeaky sound of the water tap being closed echoed inside the small and steamy bathroom after the bathtub was filled to a very reasonable level.  
A small, yet pale hand dipped into the water to taste its temperature only to find it perfectly fine and nod in acknowledgment, making the short brown-haired girl get stripped from the towel around her and slowly, yet carefully stand into the water before fully dip herself into it and sit in the bathtub.

A long sigh made its way out from Emiko's lips as she felt relaxed the moment her tired body went inside the hot water and warm her up.  
Her wet hands went up to her head to brush her hair backward away from her face, enjoying the feeling of water dripping down her face especially since she closed her eyes and stayed like that.  
The bathroom grew even quieter after Emiko closed her eyes and remained sitting in her position in the tub without making any movements at all, and she didn't mind that at all since she grew accustomed to silence to the point that she became indifferent about it.

"........." A grunt escaped her as she lowered herself even more.

She opened her brown eyes and stared down at the water's surface to take a closer look at her distorted reflection.  
She had the same blank and emotionless facial expression she always wore on her face ever since that bloody day three years ago, and Emiko became used to her new silent and quiet persona, adapted it, and even embraced it.

But now something was different...

"Is this... really how I want to live...?"

She shook her head as in denial to those thoughts in her mind which made no sense to her at all.  
All she knew was darkness, pain, and suffer so what changed at that point that made her think like that? Perhaps it's because she chose to join the Phantom Thieves? Is it because of the power and confidence she felt in the Metaverse?  
Whatever it might be, she didn't care and chose not to think about it anymore, or else she felt like she could seriously lose it.

She joined the Phantom Thieves for the sole purpose to prove her point and nothing else, and this is how it'll always remain.

"I'm so sick of this..."

After that mumble to herself, Emiko closed her eyes again before she sunk herself inside the water while laying on her back.  
She wasn't intending on committing suicide or anything, but only wanted to escape the world around her for a little time and have a moment of peace of her own, besides she has the ability to hold her breath underwater for a few minutes so that wouldn't be such a big problem anyway.  
It was quiet and peaceful the way she wanted it to be since she couldn't see or hear anything, it was mere blackness around her eyes and no sound in her ear, and she loved it.

But then...

Emiko could hear dripping sound on the bathtub's water which made her open her eyes widely and see blood dripping down on the water's surface along with a shadowy figure standing outside of the tub and just looking at her.  
Before she could even react, the figure's arms moved towards the girl underwater and began choking her by gripping her neck tightly.  
She couldn't breathe or scream, or call her mother for help. Her eyes were wide open, and her screams were muted due to her being underwater, and then... her vision started getting blurry and her limbs were growing numb.

With a rush of adrenaline that kicked in her body, she grabbed the assailant's arms and forcefully pushed them away from her neck before she pulled herself out of water sitting inside the tub again.  
She panted and breathed heavily due to her lack of oxygen while sensing her neck before coughing a few times; she expected for her neck to feel on fire, except that it didn't.  
Emiko took a very close look around her to notice that there wasn't a single soul inside the bathroom beside her and couldn't be any because she always locks the door before she uses the bathroom or to take a bath.

Once again, she eyed the water's surface to see that it was clean and clear as crystals with no traces of blood on it like she saw.  
This wasn't the first time that something like that happened to her in the course of three years, but this time was very much to her.  
Emiko covered her eyes with her hands as tears rolled down from her eyes and began weeping and sobbing quietly so her mother wouldn't hear her.  
Even if she was imagining things, the experience this time was very traumatizing to her and felt like she was going to reach her breaking point where she'd snap for real.

"My god..."

The brown-haired wiped her tears with her hand deciding not to dwell on it that much despite it being very scary and decided to finish her bath before growing crazy from thinking too much about it.  
She grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the shelves next to her on the wall and began scratching her hair and rubbing her head with it while sighing deeply and roughly.  
It was scary... really, really scary. What if it really happened? What if someone actually killed her there and wasn't just her imagination?

Death actually seemed more merciful to her than imagining it at every corner.

After a while, Emiko finally finished her bath and got up from the tub after emptying it from the water that was inside it.  
She reached for her clean spare of clothes which were placed close to her and changed into them while drying her hair with another towel.  
Then, she exited the bathroom and headed to her bedroom so that she can sleep after that tiring battle in the Metaverse earlier that day especially now that her body was relaxed after that hot bath.

After she walked into her bedroom, she walked next to her dressing table that had a mirror where she paused her tracks, looking at her reflection in the mirror while removing the towel from her head and wrapping it around her neck.  
Her eyes were dull and tired as she stared at her appearance without glasses and tangled hair, and yet her expression remained blank like always.  
But then, she felt a rush of emotions swirling inside her the more she looked it herself; anger and disgust mostly.

"Why...? Why do I have to look exactly like him? Why...?!"

She gritted her teeth angrily as the image of her cursed father appeared before her in the place of her reflection in the mirror.  
Her knuckles were turning white from how much her fists were clenched, felt like her blood was boiling within her veins, and her teeth were about to chatter due to the amount of force she poured in her gritting action.  
Why? Why did she have to look like her father? Why did she need to remember him every time she'd see herself in the mirror?  
She hated it, she hated every single moment of it. She hated the way she looked and wanted to be different and even considered herself to be ugly and still does.

She despised her appearance.

All she wanted was to be more beautiful; different hair and eye color, no glasses, smaller thighs, bigger breasts, and sexier body.   
But she knew so damn well that it was impossible to accomplish, she was born like this and has to stick with it for the rest of her life, whether she likes it or not.  
On the other hand, she always envied Ann ever since she met her in middle school because she was a real beauty.  
Breathtaking platinum blonde hair, turquoise eyes, long silky wavy hair, flawless milky skin, sexy body, big breast, and she always caught the attention of boys wherever she was while Emiko felt like she was left in the shadows.

She sighed deeply at that memory while rubbing her temple from the mental and physical stress she was feeling at that moment from everything around her.  
She opened the drawer of her dresser to get a hair comb so she can fix her messy hair before going to bed. Sure it'd be messy when she'll wake up the next morning, but didn't want it to get any messier than it was, otherwise it'd be almost impossible to comb it in the morning.  
But as she opened the drawer to look for her comb, something caught the attention of her eyes.

An object wrapped in a white cloth.

Her arm hesitantly reached for the wrapped object and brought it close to her looking at it skeptically before unwrapping the cloth that was covering it.  
It was a gun, a beautiful and shiny black handgun with a wooden handle which was skillfully crafted.  
Flipping it with one hand to the other side of the handle, a name was carved on it with very clear cursive English letters instead of Kanji that read as **'Isao Hayashi.'**

"Never thought I'd see you again after all these years."

Emiko mumbled to herself while grabbing the gun with both her hands recalling that damned moment she had to use it three years ago against her own father and shot him right in the forehead.  
But then, her hands and legs began shaking uncontrollably as her heartbeat fastened as well; sweat was dripping down from her forehead almost non-stop and started breathing and panting abnormally as her eyes widened open.  
She felt as if her red blood cells were rushing inside her veins as the beating of her heart became more and more audible to her, and everything was turning blood red around her.

Then, she began screaming as a figure of a middle-aged brown-haired man was approaching her with his face lowered down.  
When he lifted it, he revealed his demonic and sick grin along with blood dripping down his face from the bullet hole that existed right in the middle of his forehead along with blood dripping down from his eyes as well.  
Emiko felt like she was paralyzed and couldn't move a muscle of her body at that horrifying and disgusting scene, but all she could do was screaming as the man kept staring intensely at her soul while grinning sickly at her.

_**"You killed me..."** _

_**"Emiko...!"** _

_**"You killed me..."** _

_**"You shot me..."** _

_**"Murderer!"** _

_**"YOU KILLED ME!"** _

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Unable to take it anymore, Emiko let out the loudest scream ever of her life while dropping the gun from her hand before rushing out of the room.  
She hurriedly made her way back towards the bathroom while covering her mouth before lifting the cover of the toilet and throwing up hardly inside it.  
She was coughing and breathing crazily after she finished emptying what was inside her as she flushed the water open and washed her face again.

She returned to her bedroom was more with sloppy footsteps as if she was about to pass out at any moment while walking and was even supporting herself with the wall as she made her way back.  
Luckily, her mother's bedroom is far from her own and was in deep sleep since she was working all day, so she didn't wake up at the sound of her screams.  
Emiko felt weak as she slowly set foot in her room before bending down to place the gun back in the close before wrapping it again and placing it in the drawer where it originally was and closed it again.

The brown-haired lifted her face to see herself in the mirror again, and that time she looked even paler from it originally was just a few moments ago.  
She was almost as white as a ghost and felt sick after what happened since her stomach began hurting her a little.  
All what could she do was stare blankly at her reflection in the mirror and frown at her pathetic and weak appearance.

"I look terrible..."

Emiko thought to herself with a frown before making her way towards her bed with sloppy and slow steps carefully so she won't faint on the floor.  
Then, she threw her body on top of the blanket as her fingers dug deeply into the sheets since she was still traumatized from that entire experience as her heart was still beating fast and felt like her limbs were shaking a bit.  
She felt a lump in her throat along with tears forming in the corner of her eyes, looking more desperate and hopeless than ever.

"Help me..." She whispered desperately.

_"Someone... please help me."_

*******

 _ **It was a cold and calm night in the suburbs as the wind blew off wiping the fallen leaves from the roads up the starry sky.**_  
_**The sky was clear and filled with stars, and nothing was illuminating the roads other than the pale moonlight giving a dazzling radiance to its surroundings.**_  
_**The streets were also almost empty from people passing by there and there since it was late night already, but under the darkness was two figures walking hand-in-hand into a narrow alleyway; one of the two shadowy figures was tall and the other was extremely short.**_

 _ **On closer inspection, the two figures seemed to belong to a beautiful youthful woman who had charming grey eyes and long silky dark hair.**_  
_**With her was her ten-year-old child who represented her a lot with his grey eyes and unkempt curly dark hair.**_  
_**The two of them seemed to be very happy as they walked together, hands tangled with the other as the child had the biggest grin on his face and the mother was no less happy than her son.**_

_**"Mmm, I still can't believe that dad's birthday is tomorrow." The boy sang.** _

_**"Days come by really quickly, right Ren?" The mother gave him a gentle smile.** _

_**"But I'm worried... what if dad won't celebrate with us tomorrow because some job turns up?"** _

_**"Don't worry, sweetie. I've got us covered." She winked while placing a finger on her lips.** _

_**"Huh? What do you mean, mom?"** _

_**"That's a secret~" She winked again.** _

_**"Come on, that's not fair mom! Tell me!"** _

_**"You'll see for yourself tomorrow, honey."** _

_**"........" He puffed his cheeks.** _

_**"There, there." She patted his head while giggling.** _

_**"Still, we got him a cake from the best bakery in the city! It was very crowded that we could barely have a turn."** _

_**"Yes, and that's why we're so late already... come on, Ren let's hurry back home." The mother quickened her pace while holding her son's hand and the bag with the cake box in the other.** _

_**"Um, mom? Why did we enter this alley? It's so dark..." Ren's voice whimpered "Mom, I'm scared..."** _

_**"You don't have to be scared about anything, sweetie as long as I'm here with you, OK? Plus, this is a shortcut to the house. We don't want from your father to get even more worried about us, do we?"** _

_**"Y-Yeah..." He nodded slowly while tightening his grip around his mom's hand.** _

_**Ren's mom smiled at him reassuringly once more which made her son relax a bit seeing the warmth and love coming from his sweet and beloved mother.**_  
_**He was the loving type of his mother who always preferred her company over his father and enjoyed spending time with her a lot more than anything else. He was really obedient and kind to her and would never do anything to harm or upset her... or at least he tried to. He was still a child, after all.**_

 _ **However, footsteps were echoing from the way they were heading to since they were approaching the end of the alley which caused Ren's mother to stop her tracks and be wary of the sound.**_  
_**She held her son extremely close to her and held him tightly, reassuring him that everything will be fine.**_  
_**But that was when two men went out from their hiding spot, blocking the way of the mother and her son while eyeing the mother hungrily and grinning at her, making Ren hide behind her back while still holding her hand due to the appearance of the two scary and shady men.**_

_**"Hello, ma'am. What are you doing here alone with your kid? Don't you know it's dangerous to walk alone at a time like this in this place?" One of the two men grinned evilly, exposing his golden tooth.** _

_**"I was returning home with my son. Now if you'll excuse me, gentlem--" She attempted to walk with her son.** _

_**"You're not going anywhere, lady." The other man grabbed one side of his open jacket and opened it, revealing a knife hidden in its pocket.** _

_**".......!" Ren yelped as he widened his eyes fully.** _

_**"It's fine, Ren."** _

_**"Give us your bag and jewelry, fast." The one with the golden tooth demanded.** _

_**"........." A cold sweat rolled down her face.** _

_**"Hurry it up, woman! We don't have all night!" The one with the knife screamed.** _

_**"........." Ren's mom grunted while taking a step backward.** _

_**"Give us your money fast, or else..." The boss with the golden tooth pointed his head.** _

_**"MOM!"** _

_**"........!"** _

_**The young woman quickly spun her back to see a third man who appeared out of nowhere behind them who was wearing a leather hat grabbing the arm of Ren as he managed to snatch him away from her.**_  
_**The poor Ren's face went pale and kept screaming as his eyes were filled with tears causing the mother's heart to drop and for her jaw to open widely.**_  
_**She was panicking inside her since her face also went pale as the man kept laughing while examining Ren thoroughly from head to toe.**_

_**"....or god knows what'll happen to your kid." The boss continued his sentence.** _

_**"Fine, fine. I'll give you what you want. Just please, don't hurt my son."** _

_**The poor woman was on the verge of tears as she started taking her wristwatch off which was a gift from her husband on their first wedding anniversary, then began taking her necklace and earrings off which were given to her by Ren and her husband on her birthday two years ago, then took off her wedding ring before slowly sliding her bag off her shoulder making the thugs' jaw open widely in anticipation and could feel their mouth getting watery, hungry for the treasure they were about to obtain.** _

_**"OUCH, YOU LITTLE--"** _

_**That scream of pain came from the man who held Ren as a hostage after the child bravely bit the man's hand that was holding him.**_  
_**Much to the shock of the gang and his mother, Ren freed himself from the grip of that man and started running away to his mother.**_

_**At that moment, everything seemed to go in slow motion for Ren's mother as she noticed the man who was hiding the knife in his jacket and was standing next to the boss, grab that bladed weapon and bring it out of his jacket, so her maternal instincts kicked into her making her dash towards her son so she can protect him from the danger that was going to strike on him.** _

_**"Ren, RUN!"** _

_**"MOM!"** _

*******

_No..._

_No..._

_NO!_

_"--n!"_

_No... no...!_

_"-en!"_

_Noooooo...!_

_"REN!"_

".......!"

Ren's grey eyes widened open fully as a gasp escaped his lips. He blinked his eyes several times since his vision was still a little blurry but once it started clearing up, he could see the image of Morgana calling his name repeatedly and looking at him worriedly.  
He held his aching head as he slowly and carefully sat on the bed as Morgana hopped down from his chest to sit down on the bed.  
The teenager still looked terrified and traumatized from what he was seeing in his dreams since his face turned paler than usual and his limbs were visibly shaken and felt wetness on his cheeks, so he sensed them with his shaky fingertips feeling that tears were still fresh on them, thus he wiped them away with his hand.

"Are you all right, Ren? You were crying and yelling in your sleep. I tried waking you up many times, but you were still screaming." Morgana looked deadly concerned.

"I-I'm sorry..." Ren was still shocked.

"No, you don't have to apologize about anything at all. But I'm a little concerned... it seemed like you were having a very bad nightmare."

".........."

"Do you... want to talk about it? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I can clearly see that you're still terrified of what you saw."

"Yeah..." His fingers dug deeply into his sheets as he narrowed his eyes.

Morgana understood clearly that whatever nightmare Ren saw must've been very traumatizing to him since he still looked terrified from it, especially that his arms were still shaking uncontrollably.  
He decided to drop it and not ask Ren anything further about it, but instead let it be and leave the dark-haired to talk about it when he feels like can.  
But Morgana couldn't shake off the worry he felt towards Ren, because seeing him in such a state was completely new to him since the Phantom Thieves' leader kept a cool and calm persona around his comrades, so witnessing him that... scared and vulnerable was something really worrying for Morgana.

Ren hugged his shaky arms tightly as he lowered his face down, mentally chanting for him shakiness to stop and kept telling himself that it was only a nightmare and wasn't real.  
Though, Morgana kept staring at him with his worried eyes that were filled with sympathy and couldn't stop feeling bad about him.   
Even though he decided to drop it, he really wanted from Ren to talk about it and express what's scaring him that much, and he maybe... just maybe... can help him somehow.

_**Pi pi pi** _

But that was when Ren's phone rang, making the two of them snap back to reality as Ren grabbed his phone which was placed next to him on the bed.

"Huh...? Who could be at this hour..?" Morgana trailed.

"Yusuke...?" Ren looked at the screen before picking his phone to answer the call.

"It's Kitagawa. I'm calling about Madarame's state. For the time being, he hasn't suffered a mental shutdown."

"Well, that's a relief..."

"Other than that, his demeanor seems to have softened a bit. Is that... the change of heart?"

"It could be... I'm not entirely sure..."

"I see... I was curious and looked into Kamoshida as well. It's as if he was an entirely different person. Will the same be true for Sensei...?"

"Let's hope for that, Yusuke..." Ren replied while fixing his sitting position.

"...I'm sorry to have taken your time. That's all what I wanted to tell you. Good--Oh. I'll try asking him about the black-masked intruder from the Palace when the time is right. Goodbye then, Ren. This time for sure."

"Goodbye." Ren hung up.

He took a deep breath after the call ended before throwing his body again on the bed.  
Ren doubted he'd fall asleep again after the nightmare he saw, but he was tired and really wanted to sleep... but just wasn't sure if he could at that point.  
Morgana walked close to his face staring at him with those worried blue orbs which made Ren smile softly to himself while stroking the cat's head gently, slightly feeling calmer and at ease.

_"I... I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore..."_

_"I'm scared... really scared..."_

_"Someone... anyone..."_

_"Help me..."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uwaaaaah! This chapter is finally done!
> 
> I'm finally glad to write my first own original chapter in this story that doesn't really follow the plot of Persona 5.
> 
> I loved to focus on Emiko in this chapter and reveal more about herself since very little is known about her.
> 
> As for Ren, I planned for a REAL good backstory other than his mad parents since that one got a little too cliché. 😅
> 
> What do you think of this chapter? Like it? Was it good enough for your expectations of me?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Fri/Aug 23/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	21. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uncovering the secret of the teacher who moonlights as a maid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm TERRIBLY sorry for delaying the update so much. The thing is... I was very busy this week regarding my preparation for the architecture exam.  
> Plus, even though Kawakami's maid secret doesn't add much to the plot of the story, it's still a good chance to add some comedy to the story along with some slice-of-life scenes away from Palaces and the Metaverse.  
> And now without any further ado BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

  ** _\------Next Day Shujin Academy: Courtyard-------_**

That day, unlike any other day, classes seemed to wrap up very quickly which made Ren take the oppertunity of the lunchtime to head to the courtyard after bying the school's signature Showa-style fried dough along with a can of grape soda from the school's canteen.  
Ren doesn't usually find the time to make his lunch and it bring with him to school, since he doesn't even know how to cook beside the curry Sojiro taught him to make, and might be able to make few sandwiches... but even with that, he'd barely find time to make something and bring it, so he'd end up bying his lunch from the school most of the time.

Leaving Ren's very bad eating habits aside, he sat at a bench in the courtyard taking a few bites from the plain fried dough. It wasn't much, but had to eat it if he wanted to survive until the end of the day... and then followed it with gulps from the grape soda.  
The raven-haired sighed to himself deeply after drinking some of his soda before wandering his eyes around. The spot where he was sitting at wasn't bad at all since it was peaceful and quiet, surrounded with trees in front of him which gave him a soothing sensation, so he closed his eyes to dazzle himself with that peace.

But then...

"Hey, there you are!" Ryuji walked over him.

Why now in all times...?

"I need your help with something..." Ryuji started looking around him as if someone was following him.

"What is it?" Ren raised his eyebrow suspiciously after taking a sip from the soda in the can he was holding.

"I found this flyer stuffed in my mailbox." Ryuji pulled a pink piece of paper out of his pocket before showing it to the noirest.

All right, he did NOT see that coming. Ren's eyes widened in shock as his shaky fingers took the flyer from Ryuji upon seeing the image of a gorgeous young girl wearing a lolita maid dress. She pulled a cute smile on her face while winking as if she was seducing whoever would look at that printed advertise.

" **'Housekeeping Service'**! It says that a cute maid will do anything for you! A maid, dude. A MAID! Who'll do ANYTHING for us! Right? ...Right?!" Ryuji pulled a pervy grin on his face.

"What do you want ME to do?"

"...You're a guy, right? You know what I mean! Let's give it a try. Yeah? Yeah!" Ryuji's enthusiasm caused Ren to sweatdrop.

"Um, Ryuji...?"

"Luckily, some guy on my floor just moved out so there's a vacant apartment in my complex. The key's behind the mailbox, so we can get in anytime. The landlord seriously doesn't care. The place is all set, so..."

"...Hey, I heard that!" A male student's voice called which made the two nearly jump from their places.

It wasn't long before the male student approached Ryuji and Ren, revealing himself to be none other than Mishima.

"...What the hell?!" Ryuji jumped.

"How convenient..." Ren sweatdropped again.

"Um, can I, uh..." Mishima trailed "...Get in on this?"

"Oh-ho! You mean you're into this kinda stuff? Wow! Okaaay..." Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"I-I'm not into it! It's just for research! What does it mean that they'll do **'anything'**? And do maids look exactly as they're advertised? We need to determine whether or not this company just pretends to offer housekeeping services!"

"If that's the case..." Ren trailed awkwardly, catching the boys' attention.

"We should do it!" He lifted his face as he was sweating and blushing madly. The sunlight on the lenses of his glasses, thus blocking the view of his eyes.

"Hell yeah, Renren! We gotta see it with our own eyes. Every little detail..." Ryuji snickered before looking at Ren "We'll hafta do this at night, so let us know when you're ready."

"So what's the code name for this operation...? Hmmm..." Mishima thought loudly "Since we'll be watching them, it should be something like... **'Operation Maidwatch'**!"

"Nice! I like that!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"What... what have I gotten myself into?!" Ren wanted nothing more than slapping himself hardly at that moment.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc------_ **

For the rest of the day, Ren kept feeling awkward and embarrassed for even blurting out that he wanted to participate in that stupid and rediculous mission in the first place.  
He wasn't that type of guys; he was always an upstanding and well-disciplined boy who'd never consider doing anything from that sort, so what came over him earlier that day? Were his manly instincts finally taking control over him? Even if he was polite and kind, he was still a boy after all...

Ren shook his head violently to keep those thoughts away from his head.  
Taking part in this whole mess was more than enough, so he didn't need to make it any worse for himself, so he continued to drink from his coffee while sitting on a booth while solving his history homework to keep himself occupied from this whole thing.  
But that was when his phone vibrated, receiving an IM from Mishima himself.

Oh no...

_Mishima: Hey, you didn't forget, did you?!_

_Mishima: You know, about that flyer!_

_Mishima: We need to look into the truth behind that housekeeping service._

_Mishima: I'm over at Central Street right now, so come talk to me if you're interested._

_Ren: I'll be there soon._

_Mishima: Kk, I'll be waiting!_

_Mishima: Oh, but... don't flake out on me, OK? Please!_

"Why did I sign up for this...?" Ren hid his embarrassed face between his hands.

It's not like he could bail off from this mission now, even though he wanted that badly, so Ren found himself obligated and forced to leave Leblanc to meet up with the others at Shibuya.

This was going to be a long day indeed...

*******

**_\------Shibuya: Central Street------_ **

Waiting for the other two boys to arrive at the rendezvous point, Mishima was standing in front of a bookstore reading a manga he randomly picked up from the shelf.  
He found himself enjoying every pattern his eyes fell on, to the point of grinning to himself with every word he read... and found himself losing track of time with every page he flipped.  
It was indeed captivating since it managed to steal all of his senses away and disconnect him from the world around him.  
For a short time, he forgot the world around him entirely and could only see the amazing story that laid between his hands... nothing seemed to matter at that point anymore.

Well, almost...

"You're early." Ren spoke after he stood beside Mishima "What are you reading?"

"Oh, just a little thing to give me ideas for running the Phan-Site." Mishima put the book back in its place.

"I see..."

"Ever since Madarame's press conference, it's gotten an enormous number of hits!"

"Huh..."

"I'm gonna take the Phan-Site to the big leagues! This is my life's work! No, my mission!" Mishima shouted like a fanboy.

"Yo, sorry. Were you guys waitin' long? Then let's go. To the Maid Looking..." Ryuji pulled a peace sign like a magical anime girl.

"...Party!" Mishima did the same cheerfully.

"Party..." Ren imitated them awkwardly.

With that, Ryuji and Mishima grinned to the other before starting to walk away towards the apartment building where the blonde-haired lived, but Ren's mind was already occupied with many scenarios rushing aimlessly in his head which made him trail behind him slowly, already left a few meters behind him.  
But while he was walking slowly with his hand holding his chin, his eyes fell upon the inevitable, on the last thing--or the last person he ever wished to see at that moment.

"Shoot...!"

It was Emiko herself, wandering in the streets of Shibuya all alone while looking through the windows of various shops.  
As she was about to turn her back, Ren quickly hid behind a corner before she could see him there and start asking questions.  
His back was slammed against a wall and felt himself sweating heavily, his heart was leaping crazily against his chest as if it was about to jump out of it, his face felt like it was set on fire and redder than a boiled crab.  
He shut his eyes tightly while chanting prayers in his head that she won't see him and get suspicious then figure the whole thing out... Emiko was a smart girl, after all, and he can be a terrible liar when he got nervous.

The noirest kept breathing heavily to himself and kept feeling his heartbeat fastening with every second... and after what it seemed like an eternity, though it was only for a few minutes, Ren stole a peek from the corner to see that she was no longer there.  
He sighed deeply to himself in relief before collapsing on his knees especially after feeling them unable to support his weight anymore.  
Ran panted while thanking his luck that things didn't turn out from bad to worse before standing on his feet again. What would Emiko think of him if she figured out the whole thing?

"Hold on..." He muttered to himself.

Wait, since when he cared about her opinion? He disliked it and still does, so does that really matter anyway?  
So he brushed off those thoughts before running away to catch up with Ryuji and Mishima before they'd get suspicious and ask questions themselves.

*******

**_\------The Empty Apartment------_ **

Even though the three boys were already inside the empty apartment in the complex where Ryuji lived, Ren couldn't help himself to gulp while sweating a waterfall, not sure of what will await them or what events will unfold.

"S-So we're really gonna do this, huh...? You think it'll be OK?" Mishima asked worriedly.

"Operation Maidwatch, bro!" Ryuji grinned excitedly while pulling the flyer out.

"Y-Yeah! Operation Maidwatch!"

"If it turns out to be sketchy, we can just bail. The apartment's vacant, so it's not like we'll be messing with anyone's home."

"You really thought about all those details? You're a genius, Ryuji!" Ren was beyond impressed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ryuji grinned from ear to ear.

"To think... Sakamoto has a brain. But if that's the case, then..." Mishima widened his eyes in awe.

"Then..." Ryuji grinned looking anticipated.

"Yep!"

"OK, give 'em a call!" Ryuji told the noirest.

"A-All right..." Uncertain, Ren pulled his phone out, dialing the number.

"Thank you for calling! This is Victoria's Housekeeping!" A man's voice spoke on the other line.

"They answered!" Mishima nearly jumped.

"Shhh!" Ryuji shushed him.

"I take it you're interested in our services, then?"

"S-Services...!" Mishima widened his eyes.

"Is there anyone in particular you'd like to request?"

"A-Anyone we want to request?! What should we do, Ren?!" Ryuji nearly freaked out.

"R-Request..." Ren blushed as the other two gulped "Not in particular..."

"Very well! Let's see here... we have a maid available in... 20 minutes. May I ask for your address?" The Victoria's employee asked before Ren gave him the address of apartment complex.

"Shit... this is really happening..." Ryuji widened his eyes when the raven-haired placed his phone back into his pocket.

"A maid's **'services'**..." Mishima smiled to himself.

"Maid's... services..." Ren repeated quietly.

"Hey... what should we have her do? I was thinking we start with some cooking... of course, I wouldn't mind some of the other services either..." Mishima changed the subject "...Should we hold a strategy meeting to discuss?"

"They said 20 minutes, right...? I gotta use the bathroom..." Ryuji rushed out of the room.

"And there he left..." Ren sweatdropped.

"By the way, Amamiya... is there something going on with Hayashi?" Mishima blunted out.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was shocked to find out that she started hanging out with you, Sakamoto, and Takamaki-San... like really shocked. It might be my imagination, but she seems a little more... soft compared to before."

"I'm not sure about the whole soft part..." Ren sweatdropped to himself.

"Everyone at school used to be scared of her and she was a loner and never spoke to anyone or had many friends... that's until I found out that she used to be Sakamoto's childhood friend and was acquainted with both Suzui and Takamaki-San."

"Everyone used to be scared of her...?"

"Yeah, because she always had that evil look on her face and looked like she was hiding something, but when Kamoshida exposed the fact that she killed her father..."

"........" Ren grunted.

"Look, I don't know her much but from what Sakamoto told me about her, there must've been a reason. I think there's more than what we know... we just didn't listen to her part of the story."

_"That's right... I knew something was odd when Kamoshida first told us about this when we were fighting his Shadow. When I remember how she cried and hugged Shinohara when she was apologizing to her for exposing her to Kamoshida, I knew that something was out of place. She can't be a murderer... it's almost as if--"_

"But now, the students are starting to change their view of Hayashi, and it's all thanks to this article." Mishima showed Ren his phone.

" **'The Rumored Murderer Saves a Shujin Student From Sexual Harassment.'**?" Ren read the title.

"Apparently, the writer is a first-year at our school and her name is Rin Tachibana; the main writer of the school's blog. She explained how Hayashi saved her from a pedophile. She gave him a few good kicks and punches too! Look, there are even pictures she took!"

"Wow... Emiko really did that?"

"I was shocked when I read about it too but thanks to Tachibana, the students are slowly starting to their mind about Hayashi."

Ren blinked his eyes several times, not believing what he was hearing and thought that his ears were playing tricks on him.  
He was beyond speechless at that moment and couldn't even react to Mishima's words.  
Emiko... really saved a person's life like that? He just... didn't expect that to happen at all!  
Was he simply misjudging her by convincing herself that he disliked her? After all... a person who helped another can't be bad, can they?

"Did I miss somethin'?" Ryuji returned to the two, interrupting Ren's line of thought.

"I-It's almost time... you were in there for a while... are you OK? Hey, did you wash your hands?" Mishima asked the blonde-haired.

"........." Ryuji stayed quiet before widening his eyes "Huh? What? Who? Me?"

"Y-You're really nervous. Ahaha... haha... uh..."

 _"So is he really nervous, or faking it?"_ Ren thought.

"Are high school students even allowed to use this type of service?" Mishima asked.

"Huh?" Ryuji dumbfounded.

"What do you mean, **'Huh'**? You should've researched it! What if they find out who we are?!"

"H-How should I know?! But why would how old you are matter when it comes to housekeeping?"

"We would've been screwed if your number had shown up on their calling ID..." Mishima looked at Ren.

Then, all of a sudden.

**_Ding dong!_ **

All of their faces went pale as soon as the doorbell rang as their jaws dropped wide open, and felt like they were about to faint on the spot.

"Good evening... I'm from the housekeeping service." A woman's voice called from outside the door.

"What?! Already?! She's five minutes early! What do we do?! I'm not mentally prepared!" Mishima whisper-shouted.

"Oh, the door's unlocked...? Um, may I come in...?"

"I-I can't do this...! My stomach's actin' up! And my hands are all sweaty! OK, you handle the rest." Ryuji walked over to Ren "...And don't let her find out you're a high school student. I've got your back! Just... from way back! Like, from the balcony!" He said before sliding the glass door open.

"Wh-What?! I can't do this either! Amamiya, we'll leave it to you!" Mishima followed the blonde-haired.

"W-Wait!" Ren tried to reach his hand to the boys who closed the balcony's door behind them.

"Excuse me... oh, there you are!"

A brown-haired young woman tied in two pigtails who was wearing a black-and-white lolita maid costume entered the apartment while closing the door behind her.  
Her voice was also chirpy and high-pitched.

"........!" Ren fixed his posture nervously with his back against her face.

"Welcome home, Master. ❤"

 _"That voice...!"_ Ren thought to himself _"It sounds like her... just a coincidence?"_

"I'm going to fill your tired heart full of lovely energy. Meow! ❤ I'm Becky, and I have the pleasure of serving you today. ❤" Becky bowed.

"N-Nice to mee-ow-t you." Ren sweated crazily.

"Oh my... how thoughtless or me! I should explain our services to you, Master! What would you like me to do today? The basics include cooking, cleaning, laundry..." Every time Becky attempted to jump on the side and look at Ren's face, he'd turn it away from her.

"But there are other **'services'** we provide if you desire. ❤" Becky whispered seductively in his ear.

 _"O-Other... s-services...?!"_ Ren's blush deepened even more.

"Hmmm? You look young, Master... are you... perhaps..." Becky started "...In high school?"

"I-I'm a dad." He sweated a waterfall.

"You're not lying to me, are you...?" Becky asked before thinking quietly to herself.

"Hmmm. I'll wait to provide those other **'services'** until you've matured a bit, Master. ❤ Sooo... I'll be going now. ❤" Becky bowed.

"Wh-What?! No!" Ryuji's voice shouted from outside.

"Quiet...!" Mishima's voice hissed.

"I-Is someone there?!" Becky walked over the balcony's door.

"Oh no...!" Mishima's voice gasped.

"Shit! Run, Mishima!"

"Mishima? Sakamoto-Kun?" Becky gasped shockingly.

"Then you really are... Ms. Kawakami, right?" Ren leaned closer to her face with a stern expression on her face.

"You're... um..."

Ms. Kawakami found herself gasping softly while staring at his grey eyes.  
Her chest hurt and a blush crept its way on her face feeling madly ashamed and embarrassed to be discovered like that by her own students.

"Ugh, this is unbelievable... yes, it's me... your homeroom teacher..." Ms. Kawakami admitted "...I'm so done... I can't believe I got caught by some of my own students... I should've taken a job outside of the city. But I needed it to be close to school so I could go there after I finished work..."

 _"This is just SO awkward..."_ Ren thought to himself uncomfortably.

"...Who did you hear about this from? Oh! It was Ms. Chouno, wasn't it?! That harpy...!"

".......?!"

"Ms. Chouno, the English teacher... she's been snooping on all teachers ever since that incident with Mr. Kamoshida." Ms. Kawakami explained "...Are you going to tell Ms. Chouno about this?"

"That's actually up to you."

"........" Ms. Kawakami placed her hands on her hips "Hey, if you're going to side with a teacher, side with me. I'm in charge of your class, after all. And if you promise not to tell Ms. Chouno about this, I'll do anything for you!"

" **'Anything?'** "

"........." Ms. Kawakami furrowed her eyebrows annoyingly "Hey... it won't be any better for you if people find out that you called a maid service. This isn't even your home address to begin with, is it? I guess you at least thought about that. Well, I promise to keep this a secret too... so why don't we both forget this ever happened? I'll treat this as if you had canceled, so you won't have to pay anything, OK?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

"On that note, I'll be leaving. Don't say anything about this at school, OK?! Just act as if nothing ever happened! Got it? OK, bye!" Ms. Kawakami exited the apartment.

After the door slammed closed, Ren sighed deeply to himself before slowly collapsing on the floor beneath him while holding his aching head with his hand.  
Not only he did call a housekeeping service, but the maid JUST happened to be none other than his homeroom teacher herself.  
He felt like he'd thrown himself in one big mess with no way out of it...

*******

 ** _\------Next Day: Shujin Academy Class 2_** - ** _D------_**

At the class, Ren couldn't even bring himself to concentrate on the lecture that was going on.  
Currently, they were having an English class with Ms. Chouno who was a young woman with a wavy, short, dark hair, a slightly tanned skin and had a lot of makeup on her face.  
Of course, he wouldn't be able to pay much attention to class as he was scribbling unreadable letters in his notebook and thinking about the events that happened the other night.  
It was all too confusing and shocking... Ms. Kawakami working as a maid?! And why...? For money? Her salary wasn't enough for her daily needs?

Soo many questions, yet so little answers...

"What a shocker. Your homeroom teacher moonlighting with a job like that?" Morgana whispered.

"Are you listening?" Ms. Chouno spoke up.

"I couldn't believe my eyes either." Ren whispered back.

"In this sample sentence, it's important to put **'have,'** "

"She must have her reasons. Why don't you ask her about it?" Morgana suggested.

"...plus a past participle following **'should.'** **'I should have listened to you sooner.'** More quickly..."

 _"Ms. Chouno, the English teacher. What's between her and Ms. Kawakami?"_ Ren asked himself.

Soon enough, the bell rang to announce the end of the day, so Ms. Chouno wrapped up what was left from her lecture and dismissed the class.  
Chatters covered the room as Ren was packing his stuff to go back home, but that was when an unfamiliar girl with light brown hair tied into pigtails and red eyes dashed inside the classroom and stood inside the blackboard.

"Senpai, there you are!" She announced.

"Tachibana, what are you doing here?!" It was Emiko who walked towards her.

 _"Tachibana?! The girl who wrote that article about Emiko on the school's blog? Rin Tachibana?!"_ Ren thought to himself shockingly.

"I wanted to ask, are you free now?"

"I don't have anything planned, why?"

"Excellent, do you want to hang out? I know a perfect restaurant to go to!"

"Er... why?"

"Well, you're my savior after all... and I'd like to get to know you more, 'cuz I feel like we can be really good friends!"

"Well, about that..." Emiko trailed awkwardly.

"No 'but's, let's go!" Rin grabbed Emiko by her wrist and dragged her out of class.

"H-Hey, wait! Tachibana, let go of me this instant!" Emiko shouted.

Ren blinked his eyes several times again before chuckling to himself at that funny scene that just unfolded before his eyes.

_"She made friends with her already? You are indeed a mystery, Emiko Hayashi..."_

Ren smiled mysteriously to himself while fixing the position of his bag on his shoulder and walking out of the class to the hallways.  
The sound of Emiko and Rin's quarrel was still audible since it was ringing from the stairs nearby, so Ren couldn't help himself but chuckle again.

"Hm...?"

But along the way, he noticed both of Ms. Chouno and Ms. Kawakami talking to one another having a quarrel of their own, and it seemed like the conversation was really heated.

"As I've been saying..." Ms. Kawakami trailed "I have another matter to attend to, so I have to excuse myself..."

"No! We're not finished talking yet!" Ms. Chouno insisted.

"But, I..."

"There's been a series of scandals on this campus. We're all being called into question. And yet you leave work earlier than anyone--and you barely make it to the faculty meetings! Explain yourself! Don't tell me you're out running around at night?!"

"Kawakami's being grilled by Chouno. She said she'd do anything if we helped her out, so let's clear up Chouno's suspicions." Morgana spoke quietly from inside the bag.

"Ms. Kawakami, may I have a moment?" Ren called.

"You're that transfer student. The school's closing soon, Mr. Amamiya. Head on home before it gets late. Or did you need something from Ms. Kawakami?" Ms. Chouno looked at the boy.

"Sorry to bother. I just had another question." He smiled kindly.

"...What?" The English teacher dumbfounded.

"Huh...? Oh! Y-You have another question?!" Ms. Kawakami widened her eyes.

"...Another question?" Ms. Chouno repeated.

"Th-That's right! Amamiya-Kun's questions are complicated, so I take time at night to help him..."

"So you're giving individual lessons outside of school hours, hm? What passion! You are the ideal teacher! A passionate teacher is exactly what we need at this school. I'm sorry for suspecting you. Well then, keep up the hard work, you two." The English teacher left the spot with a big smile on her face.

"She just kind of convinced herself... but that did clear up her suspicion, so... thanks. Could you come with me for a bit?"

Ms. Kawakami then pointed for Ren to follow her who immediately understood and trailed behind her.  
The raven-haired walked behind his teacher silently not even thinking of asking her any question at that point... not yet.  
But then, Ren found himself in front of the glass door that led to the courtyard separated the two buildings together.

"What is it?" Ren asked.

"I can't talk about this at school... this is the address and phone number of my night job. Call at night and request me." Ms. Kawakami handed the noirest a card "Just be careful that it doesn't show up in your call history though, OK?"

"A-All right..."

"Nice going, man. No call history means a public telephone. Let's call from Leblanc's yellow phone. Let's call her over to your room the next time you're free at night!" Morgana exclaimed quietly enough only for Ren to hear.

"OK, I have to go." Ms. Kawakami left a flustered Ren behind her.

"Um, Amamiya-Kun?" A feminine voice called which made Ren look behind him to see the sight of a familiar girl he met before.

"Sh-Shinohara-San?!"

"Please, Mayu is fine. I hate formalities since they make me uncomfortable, and plus... we're in the same grade."

"A-All right..."

"Are you OK? You seem kinda... out of it."

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Really? Look, if there's anything wrong, you can talk to me about it, all right?"

"Thanks." Ren smiled at her.

"Anyway, have you seen Hayashi? I can't see her anywhere."

"I think she went out with Tachibana-San."

"Tachibana... you mean Rin Tachibana? The writer from the school blog who wrote that article about Hayashi saving her?!"

"Yeah, that one."

"Hm, I see... Hayashi isn't the type to make friends after that... incident. But I shouldn't be surprised after seeing her at her current state." Mayu chuckled.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing." Mayu winked before starting to walk away "I'll see you later then, Amamiya-Kun."

"........" Ren blinked his eyes.

"What was that?" Morgana popped his head out of the bag.

"Beats me..."

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc------_ **

"Ah, you're back." Sojiro looked at the raven-haired who opened the shop's door.

Ren looked all tired and exhausted from his day at school sighing deeply, but he pulled his phone out seeing the group IM chat after his phone vibrated the moment he set foot in the café.

_Yusuke: I assume you are all curious, so I'm sending you an update, just in case._

_Yusuke: Madarame is still bedridden. He hasn't spoken a single word._

_Yusuke: My apologies for not being able to provide anything more solid..._

_Ryuji: C'mon, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it._

_Ryuji: Although it is June already..._

_Ann: The exhibition will be ending soon..._

_Ryuji: At least it doesn't seem like Madarame's had a mental shutdown._

_Emiko: Though, it's a little concerning._

_Ryuji: But there's no point if he doesn't have a change of heart and call off that legal action bullshit._

_Yusuke: Was this how it was when you defeated Kamoshida?_

_Ren: Pretty much._

_Ann: Yeah, Kamoshida was out of school for a while._

_Emiko: Really...? I wouldn't know since I was absent at that time as well, and this is my first official mission._

_Yusuke: Either way, there has been no palpable progress._

_Yusuke: It appears only the target themselves can tell whether or not their heart has changed._

_Ryuji: It's a goddamn pain in the ass, but yeah._

_Ryuji: We just gotta hear from Madarame himself what the deal is._

_Ann: Yeah, there's nothing we can do... let's just try waiting a little longer._

After that little conversation, Ren hesitantly walked towards the yellow public telephone while pulling out the card his teacher gave him earlier that day.

"Here goes nothing..." Ren gulped while dialing the number.

"Hiii, this is Becky--" Ms. Kawakami replied "...Oh, wait, it's you. Well, it'll be 5,000 yen with the request fee included, you know. Is that OK with you?"

"O-Of course."

"...OK. I'll head over right away then..."

*******

**_\------Time Skip: Leblanc's Attic------_ **

Ren was sitting on his bed while fiddling with his fingers nervously.  
Minutes seemed to pass extremely slowly while he was sweating bullets and clearing his throat every now and then since he couldn't even understand why he called Ms. Kawakami again, to begin with.  
But it was already too late to question his actions since he heard the door's bell jingling, and soon followed by footsteps on the wooden stairs before Ms. Kawakami finally showed herself in front of Ren.

"So this is your room, huh? Hm, how do I put this...?" Ms. Kawakami looked around her.

"What?" Ren raised his eyebrow.

"...Never mind. So, what kind of kid are you? The way you opposed Mr. Kamoshida, I'd say that you're earnest and have a strong sense of justice. That being said... you called a maid service and requested me?"

"I was actually really lonely..." Ren admitted while lowering his head "Things weren't the same for me after I left my home."

"I see... oh, that's right. You have a criminal record..." Ms. Kawakami looked down "OK, then how about this... I'll let you skip class a few times."

"What...?!"

"It's tough not having any place where you belong, isn't it? However, I reserve the right to change my mind if your grades drop. And in exchange, you won't tell anyone that I'm moonlighting as a maid. Sound good?"

"Thanks. I promise you!"

"Then it's a deal!"

"I've made a deal with Ms. Kawakami..." Ren thought to himself.

 

_**"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of the Temperance Persona, I have obtained the wings of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."** _

  
"What am I doing here with one of my students...? Well, I guess I should get going. Oh, please request me if you need any help with your housework, OK?" Ms. Kawakami smiled.

"Why?"

"Well, I mean... we know each other's secrets, and it would really put my mind at ease... besides, I'm, uh... I'm considered over the hill for this type of job, so I don't get requested that often... I'll show my appreciation by making it easy for you to ditch class! Just think about it, OK?"

"All right then."

"Thank you for using our service!" Ms. Kawakami bowed before walking out of the room.

With that, Ren smiled in relief before throwing himself on the bed between the confused looks of Morgana.  
He didn't feel relieved like this since Kamoshida's confession but felt happy nonetheless of how things turned out to be, so he was able to get a peaceful and restful sleep for the first time in a while.

*******

**_\------Next Day: Shibuya------_ **

Shibuya's square was as crowded as ever and it wasn't anything strange or out of the ordinary for such a busy area, however, Madarame was shown on the giant TV screen in a press conference and was crying and weeping between the confusion of pedestrians.  
The people who were passing by in Shibuya stopped whatever they were doing and gathered near the TV screen to see what the ruckus was all about.

"What's up with that old geezer?" A male pedestrian questioned.

"Is he crying....?" A female pedestrian gasped softly.

"I... I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put... I, um... plagiarized work... I-I... tainted this... this country's art world... and... even **'Sayuri'**...! ...H-How could I... I possibly... apologize to-- to everyone for... for what I've done... aaaah...!" Madarame cried loudly.

"He's crying way too much...."

"...And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago. After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in." The newscaster said.

"Wasn't he on TV the other day?"

"On top of charges of abuse to his pupils, Madarame is under suspicion of claiming their works as his own. Some doubt the validity that his maiden work **'Sayuri'** was stolen, believing it was used for fraud. This large-scale criminal act has caused a great shock to the art world, and..." The newscaster was reporting.

"That old man's done for."

"After the conference, Madarame was taken to a police hospital for interrogation due to his age. However, initial psych evaluations state that he is mentally sound and likely responsible for his actions." The newscaster added.

"There's no need to be nice to an older geezer like that."

"Why'd he spill the beans himself? Doesn't that seem weird?"

"Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit. The police will investigate their relation to this case, but for now, did not identify them as suspects." The newscaster stated.

"Phantom Thieves? Do these bandits have somethin' to do with that old geezer's apology?"

"Ohh, I've heard of them before. They supposedly steal evil hearts; It's why the culprits apologize."

"Wait, what? Steal hearts? That's impossible though."

"But I felt like I saw somethin' about that online too. They sent out a calling card for real. So it was like, **'We're going to take your heart?'** That's impressive if someone really did that."

Nakanohara smiled to himself in satisfaction who was present there as well knowing more than anyone else that the Phantom Thieves fulfilled his wish, and that justice has finally prevailed.

Among the crowd of pedestrians, stood the ace detective Goro Akechi with his eyes still focused up on the screen before narrowing them.  
He had rather skeptical and suspicious look on his face while holding his chin and knew for certain that something fishy and unusual was going on, and was willing to uncover it.

"Phantom Thieves, huh....?" The Akechi mumbled to himself.

As he attempted to leave, his eyes fell upon a certain girl he knew standing between the crowd who was not too far away from him.  
At that moment, he froze and felt unable to move an inch of his body upon seeing her...! Makoto Niijima standing among the crowd, looking exactly the way he remembered her the last time he saw her.  
Akechi felt a rush of emotions running in his body mixed between happiness, nostalgia, sadness, and guilt along with a pain in the pit of his stomach... but felt more guilty and terrible than ever as certain words flashed in his mind.

_**"My dream... is to become a police officer like my dad!"** _

_**"That way we can both work together, Akechi-Kun!"** _

Akechi felt pain and guilt eating him from the inside out, especially after recalling what he told her next and what happened after that, so he quickly turned his back and walked away before Makoto could see him while covering his mouth with his gloved hands to maintain his light sobs and trying his best to stop his tears from rolling down on his face.

He wanted to walk to her, talk to her, and see her again... but couldn't bring himself to. He knew for certain that she hated him since that day a year and a half ago... after the way he responded to her expressing about her dream.  
Those strong emotions were overwhelming him and could barely maintain them inside him... he truly wanted to cry, to scream, to let it all out, but just couldn't.

"Phantom Thieves again..." Makoto trailed before leaving as well.

*******

**_\------Shibuya's Passageway------_ **

After the entire group watched the press conference from the square, reunited in their hideout with huge grins planted on their faces, and that included Emiko as well... though she only smirked rather than grinning madly like the rest.  
The mission was a big success, so how they couldn't smile and feel happy, after all? It felt as if a huge burden was lifted from their shoulders... especially for Yusuke mostly.

"You guys see the news about Madarame?! It's just like what happened with Kamoshida!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"And they mentioned the Phantom Thieves!" Ann exclaimed as well.

"Man, this is startin' to get interesting... if we do it right, we can change people's hearts. With this power... we might be able to do more than just gettin' back at society. It'll be a big deal!"

"I totally agree! This is going to be very fun!" Ren smiled while giving Ryuji a high five.

"Let's keep pushin' on then!"

"However... with great power comes great responsibility." Emiko added with a serious tone.

"As for me, I hope we just keep gettin' more and more famous!" Ryuji grinned excitedly.

"Something like this happening twice is massive too. It's too great a coincidence to occur normally." Morgana stated.

"If we continue doing this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to everyone who needs it." Ann smiled whole-heartedly.

With that said, a man wearing a suit and sunglasses along with a stern-looking officer in uniform were approaching the group slowly which made Yusuke furrow his eyebrows in suspicion.

"...We may want to quiet down a little." Yusuke whispered.

"Do you know them?" Ann queried.

"You moron! Those're attendance officers!" Ryuji nearly face-palmed himself.

"To think I'd find someone more stupid than Ryuji..." Emiko mumbled to herself.

"Hello there. May I speak with you for a moment?" An officer with sunglasses asked.

"Ah, yes! How can we help you?" Ann pulled her so-called **'acting skills.'**

"That monotonous acting of hers never fails to send a chill down my spine." Morgana sweatdropped.

"What are you all doing here? Are you friends?" The officer with sunglasses questioned.

"What do we look like?" Ren gave them a challenging look.

"Hm...? What did you say?" A stern officer growled.

"A-Ahaha! Th-That was a joke! He didn't get much sleep last night." Ann laughed nervously.

"For the love of..." Emiko held the bridge of her nose.

"Well, all right. Just make sure you disperse before it gets too late, OK? There have been some odd happenings lately, and the news about that artist has caused quite the stir." The officer with sunglasses stated.

"We'll be careful!" Ann exclaimed as the officers left.

"It's still light out... man, those guys must have way too much time on their hands." Ryuji sighed.

"Hey, don't go making stuff on the spot like that, OK...?! I totally panicked 'cause of you!" Ann scolded Ren.

"You almost blew us up, you know... such an incredible leader you are." Emiko scoffed.

Ouch...

 _"Yup, I most certainly hate her."_ Ren took everything he thought about her back.

"...From now on, we'll need to be even more cautious than before. Look at us! Right after the second Thieves incident, both prior victims are meeting up." Morgana added for the-matter-of-factly.

"Wait, you mean people might be listening to us...?" Ann asked worriedly.

"Eh, it'll be fine. Look around. We're the only people worryin' about it." Ryuji reassured the platinum blonde-haired.

"I guess you're right..." Ann trailed.

"By the way, Yusuke... you able to get anything out of Madarame? Remember how he's talkin' about that suspicious person in the black mask?" Ryuji remembered.

"Well... I pressed him for answers, but he doesn't even understand what happened to him to begin with." Yusuke replied.

"Of course... since the person doesn't even know about the existence of their Shadows." Emiko held her chin.

"It's not like he actually saw his desires get stolen, after all." Ann added.

"It's rumored that he may be sent to prison. In that case, gaining information will be difficult..." Yusuke remarked.

"So, what're you gonna do now?" Ryuji questioned.

"I'll be leaving that house. I can't draw in such a place anymore."

"Well, do you have somewhere to go?" Ann catechized.

"The school dorms. I can stay there free of charge thanks to my fine-arts scholarship."

"A scholarship?! Wait, you're that good...?" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"Why am I not even surprised?" Emiko rolled her eyes.

"Although, Takamaki-San's house would do as well." Yusuke added.

"...Wait, WHAT?!"

"You know, you could ask her to model for you whenever you wanted!" Ryuji laughed.

"You moron!" Ann shouted at his face while blushing madly.

And that made Ren chuckle lightly to himself.

"Then again, now that Yusuke'll be livin' alone, it'll be easier for us to meet up whenever we want." Ryuji grinned.

"For the time being, we should wait and see how this case plays out." Yusuke stated.

"And it'll prolly take some time findin' a target as big as Madarame."

"Anyway, we should just act like normal students while we look for our next target, OK?" Ann reminded.

"We'll be entrusting that you again, Ryuji." Morgana said.

"All right. Guess it's just more prep 'till then." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders.

Then all of them grabbed their bags, preparing themselves to leave while chatting among themselves.  
They have already started walking away, leaving Ren behind who was still picking his bag up... but unbeknownst to him or the others, Makoto Niijima spying at them from a distance who already had a suspicious look filling her reddish pupils at the sight of each individual who was in that rather interesting group.

"Yusuke Kitagawa..." She mumbled before leaving.

"........!"

Ren stopped his tracks while looking behind him since he felt like he was being watched, but didn't see anyone.  
He furrowed his eyes in suspicion before walking up to his friends who looked back and called him so he could follow them.  
What was that dark and mysterious presence he just felt nearby? Could it be the unknown black-masked individual who was lurking in the Metaverse behind their backs?

It was all too suspicious and mysterious.

_"Who could that person be...?"_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, I can't believe I've finally finished this chapter!
> 
> It was fun taking a short break from Palaces and the Metaverse and write something hilarious instead.
> 
> Lmao, gotta love Ren in this chapter. The anime made him so hilarious. 😂😂😂
> 
> Again, sorry for the late update. I was busy with my college registration and preparation for the architecture exam today, even though I'm not an official student yet. I'll start going to college in October though.
> 
> What do you think of this chapter? Liked it?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Thu/Sep 5/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	22. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann's answer for a question that was buried deep in the memories of the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy guys! I'm here today with a ship that I CRAZILY love in Persona 5. Honestly, I didn't use to ship this couple, but after a certain Palace, and analyzing this ship more in depth, I began to ship it like a crazy fangirl! :D  
> Without any further ado, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

**_\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------_ **

With a sigh, a certain dark-haired boy threw his body down until he laid on his bed as his dark grey eyes traveled to the ceiling above him.  
A visible frown was drawn on his lips which were strangely odd--he had every reason to be happy at that moment after the last mission's success.   
Even though Madarame confessed all of his crimes earlier that day, Ren still had something on his mind that was worrying him.   
He knew better than anyone else that he should be delighted and relieved that the mission was a success along with having Yusuke in the team, but he still felt injustice at the same time, especially after seeing that Yusuke's case got solved and justice took its path while the darkness of injustice swallowed his own case.

**_"Damn brat. I'll sue...!"_ **

".........." Ren let out a distressed grunt while narrowing his eyes.

The noirest turned his face away while frowning to himself so that Morgana couldn't see how troubled he was and start asking questions.   
Grief and sadness were written all over his face as he recalled those cursed four words from the drunk man; the very same words that basically ruined his life and flipped it upside down.  
Remembering those words was enough for Ren to feel frustrated and disgusted at the same time, digging his nails deeply into his bedsheets and couldn't stop feeling ugly about the whole situation.

Hold up, Madarame was finally placed behind bars; the place where he belonged all along, and Yusuke earned his freedom at last along with him joining the team, so why should he be sad or angry?  
It's true that Ren's case never received the justice it deserved, but that wasn't a reason to not feel happy for his friends' happiness--he was never raised that way.  
So, he turned his body again until he laid on his back with a small sigh that turned to a faint smile... then to a look of genuine ecstasy. Morgana tilted his head as he looked at the raven-haired with eyes filled with curiosity, and yet he responded with the cat's stares with a gentle stroke on his head.  
Then, the sound of his phone buzzing brought his senses to reality, and thus he picked his phone up checking the group IM chat.

_Yusuke: You have my gratitude._

_Ryuji: What're you so polite for all of sudden?_

_Yusuke: I truly am thankful to you for making me come to my senses._

_Ren: You're just exaggerating._

_Yusuke: I most certainly am not. I must express my gratitude earnestly._

_Ryuji: You're one of us now, man. We'll be counting on you, mkay?_

_Emiko: I doubt that's going to be any problem._

_Yusuke: Of course._

_Ann: And if anything comes up, we won't hesitate to lend a hand._

_Ren: That's right._

_Yusuke: Thank you._

_Yusuke: Well then, see you._

"Well, there were a lot of ups and downs, but we still pulled off our first job! Yusuke joined the team too, so let's continue reforming society like this!" Morgana smiled in satisfaction.

"Yeah."

Ren smiled happily while placing his phone aside then all of a sudden, a yawn escaped him feeling his eyelids growing numb as they were struggling whether to stay open or not, but after a lot of trouble... Ren was finally driven into a deep and peaceful slumber.

*******

**_\------Next Day: Shibuya Train Station------_ **

The time of the year came when all students were obligated to switch their winter uniforms with their summer ones, thus the train station was filled students wearing the summer version of their uniforms.  
Ren stood alone all by himself at the platform with his fingers scrolling through his phone while wearing Shujin's summer uniform that consisted of the same plaid trousers and a short-sleeved creamy-colored polo shirt.  
His grey eyes wandered through both his calls and IMs logs to see if he had received anything from his parents while he was asleep. However, he expected not to see anything from them since they never contacted him since the day he came in April and it was already June.

The anticipation that he once had in hope that his parents would contact him at least was completely wiped off and got replaced with an angry scoff as soon as his gaze laid on the number 'zero' for missed calls and messages.

"Still nothing..."

"Morniiin'!" Ryuji approached Ren with his usual goofy grin while waving at him.

"Hey, morning." Ren smiled at his presence.

"The response to Madarame's press conference was huge! Everyone's talkin' about the calling card." Ryuji's grin widened "Girls are checkin' me out today... maybe they can't help but sense my overflowin' phantom thief charisma?"

"I highly doubt that."

"Oh shit, am I finally startin' to be popular with all the fly hon--" Ryuji cut his sentence as if realization struck him "...Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! My uniform, man! That's what! We're s'posed to switch to summer uniforms today! I knew people were lookin' at me... oh, goddammit! I gotta go home and change, so you go on ahead!" Ryuji shouted before running away.

"........." Ren stood quietly with a blank expression on his face before he snickered "Hahaha...!"

_"Even if you hadn't contacted me for the last two months, but I'm happy now."_

_"Mom, dad... rest assured. I've finally found the place where I belong..."_

*******

 ** _\------Shujin Academy: Class 2_** - ** _D------_**

The morning classes were about to begin as Ren walked inside the classroom after sliding the door closed behind him while smiling delightfully like a new person after he decided to throw away everything that's been burdening him before.  
It seemed as though both Ann and Emiko noticed the happy expression on his face, so the former grinned to herself feeling delighted to see her friend so cheerful like that and thought it was due to Madarame's confession yesterday.  
Emiko, on the other hand, gave him a suspicious look while raising her eyebrows before shrugging her shoulders and looking out of the window.  
Ren waved to the girls while exchanging good mornings with them as he sat down on his desk between them like usual.

The noirest secretly opened his bag to let a certain black cat jump out from it inside the drawer, reminding him to stay quiet so he won't get in any trouble.  
Darting his gaze away, Ren looked at the window next to him noticing how the pristine blue sky was turning to dark grey in color before raindrops started pouring heavily much to the annoyance closing his grey eyes due to a beautiful and warm sensation of inner peace coming over him and capturing his sensations entirely.

Since he moved to Tokyo, he grew to love the rain and its voice dripping down along with the smell of the ground or the soil after it which was beautiful to him.  
Memories rushed back when he was going to Shujin on his first day two months ago and it started raining like that abruptly, and that was when he met both of Ann and Emiko for the first time after taking shelter under a shop's roof.  
Who would've thought that such a simple sound like raindrops would trigger such memories in the first place, but it happened nonetheless.

_"So many things happened back then, huh?"_

On the other hand, Ann, who was sitting in front of Ren, was also staring out the window at the rain with rather a nostalgic look in her eyes as she smiled mysteriously to herself.  
The rain also was symbolic to her and was connected to so many memories for her as well, but the memory that stood out the most was the day when she started middle school four years ago since it rained like that as well on her first day.  
Middle school; although she hated it a lot at first, later it turned out to be one of the biggest turning points in her life because back then she met both Shiho and Ryuji who became her best friends in no time.  
Her eyes were brimming in pure happiness before she closed them to immerse herself with the sound of the raindrops while resting her chin into her palm.

But then... words from the past rolled in her mind.

**_"Say, Ann... will someone ever love me someday for who I am?"_ **

"........!"

Her eyes fluttered open as soon as she recalled those words feeling more alert than usual at such an unexpected recall.  
She felt like the strings of her heart were being pulled tightly after she remembered those words that were told to her in her final year of middle school, but what made her feel more terrible and guilty that the question remained unanswered until now because she never got the chance to do so, thus Ann bit her thumb as she felt reluctant about the whole thing after remembering it so suddenly.

_"Thinking back at it... I still haven't given an answer yet..."_

".........."

However, Emiko was in a whole different world than both of Ren and Ann since her pen was moving ever so delicately on the page of her notebook, scribbling some characters in a neat order that went from the top of the page until the middle of it.  
But then, her mind was drawing a blank and didn't know how to continue whatever she was writing--she felt like she was struggling a lot to the point of scratching her head while biting her pen.  
Emiko tried squeezing her brain as hard as possible to know how she could continue, but it seemed like no matter how hard she tried to think, nothing came out of it much to both of her disappointment and irritation.

It was just when the classroom's door slid open and entered a female teacher who had a braided dark hair, dark eyes, black-framed glasses, and rather big lips with a stern and sharp facial expression.  
As soon as she walked in, murmurs and chatter died down while students rushed back to their seats who were either goofing around or chatting with their friends. The class became extremely quiet at that moment that a needle's voice could be perfectly audible, echoing in every corner if it was thrown down onto the floor.  
That young woman was none other Ms. Usami, the math teacher who stood herself in front of the blackboard as the students stood up and bowed respectfully to her before sitting back again.

And that was the beginning of another long morning lecture...

*******

**_\------Lunchtime: Principal's Office------_ **

Morning classes wrapped up like usual, then the bell rang announcing the beginning of lunchtime.  
However, shortly after the student council president Makoto Niijima left her class, a teacher approached her saying that principal Kobayakawa had requested her presence in his office for an urgent matter.  
Now, Makoto already had a very good idea why the principal requested her--it must've been because about the investigation regarding the Phantom Thieves that he'd entrusted to her. There couldn't be any other reason.

The next thing, Makoto found herself standing in front of his office's door feeling her heart pounding faster inside of her chest.  
She shook off her head while taking a deep and long breath before gently knocking on the door, feeling more nervous at that point.  
As soon as she heard his voice telling him to come in, she opened the door while excusing herself and walked to the front of his desk after closing the door behind her. She was now at his presence like he requested specifically.

"How are things going in regard to that matter of that matter we spoke of earlier?" Principal Kobayakawa questioned.

Straight to the point, huh?

"I have nothing to report yet..."

"Nothing at all? How many students are there who could provoke a teacher?"

"I've already narrowed it down. I just... can't get any solid evidence..."

Principal Kobayakawa let out a deep and long sigh escape him.  
He looked extremely troubled and stressed out as he held the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index, yet Makoto held her chin while narrowing her eyes.  
She had her own suspicions for quite some time and felt that something fishy was going on in the school under her nose without even knowing about it, thus she mustered up the courage and asked.

"You knew, didn't you...? About Mr. Kamoshida sexually harassing students."

".........."

"Sir!"

"What will come of you asking that?" Principal Kobayakawa frowned.

"The investigation is for a just cause, correct?" Makoto narrowed her eyes.

"I believe I understand how flustered this must be making you. I'm sure it was truly shocking for you as student council president to see a peer attempt suicide..."

"Yes..." Makoto trailed while looking down.

"We must provide a school environment where all students can feel at ease. That is the most pressing issue we have to tackle at the moment."

"So that's your reason behind this investigation on the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? We don't even know if they truly exist. Why are you--"

"You heard about the incident with that Madarame fellow, I assume?"

"...They said there was a similar calling card to the one used in Mr. Kamoshida's case."

"I wish to believe that this is unrelated to our students."

"Yes..."

"That is where I stand. I suggest you devote your energy to the task at hand, not unnecessary questions."

".........."

The message was loud and crystal clear for Makoto and knew that there was no room left for discussion or complaining, so she looked down at the ground with sorrow filling her eyes.  
She couldn't know anything more, after all, and felt like she was failing badly as Shujin's student council president along with all the students there... and it was the worst feeling ever.  
And yet, Makoto nodded reluctantly to the principal before bowing to her and excusing herself once more before walking out of the office.

The moment she set her feet outside of the office after closing the door behind, a distressed sigh escaped her lips as she leaned her back against the door.  
She felt like she couldn't even stand properly as her knees started to feel weak along with the awful sensation that she was carrying a huge burden on her shoulders... a burden she couldn't handle on her own like that.  
Makoto felt like she was slowly reaching her limits and would soon break if she stayed at that pace, but she had to endure it... just for a little while longer.

She wished at the moment if _**he**_ was with her to tell her what to do at that hopeless and desperate situation that was consuming her entirely...

 _ **"You, a police officer...? Haha, are you perhaps foolish? Don't make me laugh. You would be better off removing such a shallow idea from your mind. I honestly thought you were smarter than this..."**_ Those words echoed in her mind.

"........."

*******

**_\------Meanwhile: The Hallways------_ **

After buying a sandwich and a can of grape soda from the school's canteen, Ren was making his way back to his classroom so he could have his lunch there while enjoying the sound of the falling rain.   
And of course since it started raining all of a sudden, all the students remained indoors and none went out to the courtyard.  
However, along the way, he spotted a certain spiky blue-tinted black-haired boy smiling at him friendly while waving which made Ren return the gesture by also smiling and waving back at him gently.

"Hey, Amamiya. I was actually looking for you." Mishima approached the raven-haired.

"What's wrong?"

But instead of answering him directly, Mishima looked across the hallway to the window having his eyes fixed on the sight of the rain pouring down heavily from the dark grey sky.

"I hate how gloomy the rainy season is." Mishima commented.

"Is that so...?" Ren trailed to himself.

"By the way, have you decided where to go to social studies?"

"No."

"I'm going to a TV station. I can watch the taping of a TV show, maybe even get to meet actresses!"

"I see..." Ren chuckled.

That's right, two days only remained to the social studies trip, and the students had the absolute freedom to choose where they wanted to go from what the school offered them, so that became the talk of the students.  
Though Ren felt a little excited and was actually looking forward to such a trip, and the idea of going to a TV station didn't sound very bad either... it could be enjoyable if the rest of his friends went along with him.

On the other hand, Emiko was actually heading back to her class after buying some food from the canteen since she forgot to grab her packed lunch and left it in the kitchen at home.  
But, her mind couldn't stop thinking about how to continue what she was writing in her notebook in the morning before Ms. Usami walked in while taking a bite from her sandwich.  
She retraced the words she wrote until now and thought very hard about how to continue them properly, but her mind was drawing a blank again.

And then...

"Senpai!" Someone was running towards her at top speed.

".........?"

Such a cheerful and merry upbeat voice could only belong to... _**her**_.

"Gee, can't you speak any louder, Tachibana?" Sarcasm was dripping from her tone.

"That's just so cruel, Senpai! Besides, haven't I already told you to call me Rin? We're friends now, remember?" Rin puffed her cheeks childishly.

"About that... I just don't ever recall--"

"Don't bother yourself, Tachibana-Chan. You know very well that Hayashi isn't the friendly type with other people." A feminine voice interrupted.

"Hm?" Rin looked up to see Mayu approaching them.

"Shinohara...?" Emiko was slightly taken aback.

"It's good to see you again, Hayashi. How are you doing nowadays?" Mayu gave her a friendly smile.

"Wait, you're... Mayu Shinohara-Senpai from the volleyball team, right?" Rin's eyes lit up.

"Nothing gets past you, huh, Tachibana-Chan?"

"Hehe, I'm the main writer for the school's blog, after all! And I intend on becoming an investigative journalist when I grow up!"

"I think that career suits you perfectly." Mayu's smile grew.

"Th-Thank you, Shinohara-Senpai..." Rin felt a little embarrassed at that compliment as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"........." Emiko narrowed her eyes.

"Wait... you two know each other?!" Rin's eyes sparkled comically.

"We're actually neighbors. She lives right across me." Emiko replied.

"S-Seriously?! You two are neighbors?! How come I didn't know any of this?!" Rin gasped while leaning her face close to Mikki, making her uncomfortable.

"You're invading my personal space." Emiko forcefully pushed Rin's face away.

"By the way, have you heard about the social studies trip, Hayashi?" Mayu asked.

"Yeah, I heard." She replied monotonically.

"And where would you like to go?"

"I don't know. Plus, it's none of your business."

"You sure are... something, Hayashi." Mayu sweatdropped while smiling nervously, trying to make her comment sound as nice as possible.

"I want to go to the TV station! My resources say that the charismatic ace detective Goro Akechi will be having an interview there on the second day of the trip!" Rin exclaimed as the atmosphere around her become flowery.

 _"Akechi...?"_ Emiko thought to herself.

"Huh...? Hold on, THAT Goro Akechi?! The Second Advent of the Detective Prince?!" Mayu gasped loudly while covering her mouth.

"Yup, the very same! Ahh, if I can just get his autograph, then I can die happy! Kyaaa...!" Rin was fangirling comically as her face turned beat red and started running around crazily after turning to a chibi figure.

"I mean... he IS very dashing and so princely-looking, so I can understand your enthusiasm." Mayu admitted.

"And you know who's almost as good looking as him, Shinohara-Senpai?" Rin went back to her original state.

"Who?!"

"That new transfer student! You know, the one with the criminal record. Ah, what was his name again...? Ren... Ren Amimaya--"

"You mean Amamiya-Kun?!"

"........!" Emiko felt like she was going to choke on her food after she took another bite from her sandwich.

"Yes, him! Amamiya-Senpai!" Rin exclaimed "Sure he's slender and all, but that doesn't really affect his appearance. I mean he has that curly raven hair, those charming dark grey eyes, and his glasses make him look SO good even though they give a nerdy appeal! Ahhh...!"

"Well... Amamiya-Kun is good looking in his own way, and I've even noticed that some girls in the school already have their eyes on him despite his reputation."

"I wouldn't be surprised, though Akechi-San looks a little bit better than Amamiya-Senpai. It's so close that I can't tell who's hotter...!" Rin was fangirling again.

"What do you think, Hayashi?" Mayu turned her gaze to the brown-haired

"I honestly don't care. Ren is just... Ren. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"I-Is that so...?" Mayu sweatdropped once more at that response while smiling tensely.

Though she said that, it was still a little troubling to Emiko... especially after remembering her first visit to Leblanc, she was deeply immersed in Ren's grey eyes and even mentally admitted to herself that he was indeed handsome, but that really didn't matter anymore.   
She was just purely stupid at that moment and hated herself for letting her guard down around him back then.  
Now, she had absolutely no intention of going back from her words. Ren is just Ren--a fellow classmate of hers in the real world and her leader in the Metaverse. Nothing more and nothing less.

Period.

*******

**_\------Meanwhile------_ **

The sound of water splashing echoed throughout the empty girls' bathroom since Ann splashed water on her face while leaving the water running from the tap.  
Her wet fingers grabbed the tap and closed it, then the sound got replaced with dripping voices as the water was tricking down from Ann's face and hair down the sink.  
Her hands firmly grabbed the edges of the sink as she stared at her own reflection in the mirror. She could clearly see sorrow and sadness brimming in her bright turquoise pupils.

Several images played inside her mind like cinematic records taking the form of old memories from the bygone days.  
First, she remembered an image of a dark-haired male wearing a red shirt beneath his opened black blazer along with a platinum blonde-haired girl that tied her hair into two fluffy twintails with a yellow hair clip.   
The boy and girl were chatting together and having fun while laughing to their hearts' content and the girl seemed flustered.

Another image of the same boy and girl flashed inside her mind with the boy standing protectively in front of the platinum blonde-haired with an angry expression on his face and seemed like he was protecting her from someone while growling and shouting angrily.   
Many other similar images played one after another of the two hanging out together, laughing, one of them getting flustered, and so on for what seemed like an eternity.

But the memory that Ann felt like it broke and shattered her heart into many tiny pieces was the boy and girl exchanging a pinky promise as both of their pinkies interlocked together, mumbling some kind of an oath to the other...

"You broke our promise..." Ann mumbled these words.

**_"Effin' Kamoshida...!"_ **

**_"Ryuji? Are you OK?"_ **

**_"Go away, Takamaki. Not now."_ **

**_"But--"_ **

**_"I said leave me alone!"_ **

**_"You called me Takamaki..."_ **

"Stupid..." Ann whispered this word quietly, only for herself to hear.

However, after recalling that memory, a stray tear fell from her cheek into the sink and was soon followed up by many other teardrops before she began sobbing uncontrollably, so she hid her face between her hands to try muffling her cries so no one would hear it and come inside asking questions.  
She let it all out like a child feeling her heart breaking even more than ever.

*******

 ** _\------Class 2_** - ** _D------_**

After the conversation with Mishima, Ren went back to his classroom to have whatever was left from his lunch before the afternoon classes would begin and shortly after him, Emiko walked in as well also to eat what was left from her sandwich after finishing the chat with Rin and Mayu.  
The two of them were eating in silence and none of them looked at the other despite Ren being in front of the brown-haired girl... mostly because he was thinking about the social studies trip.  
The idea of going to a TV station was kinda tempting for Ren and thought about going there, but it would be more fun if the rest went along with him.

Suddenly, Ryuji stepped inside the classroom with his usual goofy grin planted on his face while waving at both Ren and Mikki.  
The former smiled at his presence and waved at him as well, while the latter gave him a blank expression on her poker face and didn't even bother herself to move from her place.  
Ren stood up as Ryuji approached him leaning on his desk and began chatting which made stand up as well and stand next to them after Ryuji called her.  
While they were somehow having a conversation, Ryuji abruptly stopped talking as two male students talked about something that caught his fullest attention.

"Did you see Madarame's press conference?" The words of an excited male student caught the three's attention.

"You mean that guy who was all like, **'How could I possibly... apologize for what I've done... Aaaah...'**?" A suave male student imitated Madarame's apology in a mocking tone.

"Think it was really those phantom thieves? You know, the whole stealing your heart thing."

"That... there's no way. But then again... it seems too convenient for it all to just be coincidences."

"Yeah...!" Ryuji cheered quietly.

"How's it going? Have you found our next big target?" Ann approached the group.

It seemed like she finally calmed down since her eyes weren't red or puffy from crying which was for the best so she wouldn't raise any suspicions from any of them.

"I just started lookin' yesterday. No way I'm gonna find one that quick." Ryuji spoke.

"Oh yeah. I guess that's true." Ann agreed "By the way, I decided on the TV station. What about you three?"

"Huh...? Oh crap, the social studies trip! Ugh, I just wanna ditch it..." Ryuji growled angrily.

"You want to ditch anything related to school." Mikki stated nonchalantly.

"Th-This ain't right...!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."

"It's right, Ryuji and you know it." Ren added while pushing his glasses up.

"Shuddup, man!"

"You'd better go to your school activities. Didn't I tell you not to draw attention to yourselves?" Morgana popped his head out of Ren's desk.

"Wouldn't me suddenly turnin' into a good student stand out more?"

"You have a point in that." Emiko scoffed.

"Quit bickering and go." Morgana repeated.

"Then let's all choose the TV station! I heard we're gonna get to watch them tape a show! Maybe there'll be actresses there!" Ann spoke excitedly.

"........!" Ryuji slightly widened his eyes at Ann's last statement.

 _"In, three, two, one..."_ Emiko thought while closing her eyes.

"Oh well. Not like I got anything better to do than waitin' for info to come in online. Plus, Morgana's right. Showin' up'll keep the teachers from gettin' all suspicious of me." Ryuji grinned widely.

"All right, I'm gonna head back. TV, huh... maybe I should get a haircut..." Ryuji mumbled to himself before leaving the class.

"That guy is such an idiot... I hope nothing happens..." Morgana sighed worriedly.

"Right..." Ren trailed while sweatdropping.

"What about you, Emiko? Will you join us at the TV station?" Ann looked at the brown-haired excitedly.

"I don't have any other choice, do I? Fine then..." She sighed.

"Oh, don't be like that! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

However, Ren smiled to himself after knowing that all of his friends will head to the TV station like he originally hoped and that'll increase the fun and experience with them.  
And it was that moment when the bell rang making it the beginning of the afternoon class, and the door immediately slid open with Mr. Ushimaru, the social studies teacher walking inside and giving the students an intense glare which made them all run back to their seats for another hellish lecture from that scary teacher.

It was going to be a very long day...

*******

**_\------Afternoon Class------_ **

".........."

Ren grunted to himself while burying his face into the palm of his hand, having the gaze of his eyes out at the window on the rain that was pouring even heavier than before.   
His mind wandered off to the land of daydreaming not paying attention to the lecture of Mr. Ushimaru.  
He was happy and delighted at that point to know that the rest of the group all agreed unanimously to go to the same place for the trip after two days. The raven-haired had a very good feeling that it was going to be very fun seeing in action the process of filming and airing, and who knows? Maybe it'll be like Mishima and Ann said, they might even get the chance to meet a celebrity or two.  
But, he snapped back to earth at the sound of his phone buzzing, in which he picked it to open the group chat while trying his best not to get caught.

_Ryuji: Feels pretty great having everyone talk about us, huh?_

_Yusuke: Madarame is the only topic of conversation at my school._

_Yusuke: And as I'm his pupil, most of my peers have chosen to ignore me._

_Ryuji: For real? That's bullshit._

_Emiko: Such a pathetic reaction coming from them._

_Ann: Are you going to be OK?_

_Yusuke: There is no need to worry._

_Yusuke: They had already been treating me differently from others as it stood._

_Yusuke: This is nothing new to me._

_Ann: OK then..._

_Yusuke: More importantly, do we have any leads on our next mission?_

_Ryuji: You kidding? There's no way we'd find a target that quick!_

_Ren: Let's just wait and see. Something must turn up soon._

_Yusuke: I will keep myself free. Please tell me if anything comes up._

*******

**_\------Time Skip: After School------_ **

The school day was finally over, so the students started packing their stuff and heading out of the classrooms so they can return home after such a tiring day indeed between classes and lectures.  
However, Ann exchanged a very quick goodbye with Ren and Emiko before rushing out of the class as if she had something urgent to do, and that left the two shrugging their shoulders to each other.  
The platinum blonde-haired sprinted as fast as she could across the hallway while mentally hoping that she wouldn't miss him before leaving the campus... and the next thing she knew, she found herself standing in front of class 2-E with Ryuji just walking out of it while yawning lazily to himself.  
However, he stopped his tracks when his eyes met Ann's who was standing at the entrance of the class all of a sudden. He found it weird, so thoughts began roaming in his head... what could she possibly do here?

"Um, Ryuji... can I talk to you about something?"

"Uhh, sure."

"Remember in our last year in middle school, you asked me a very important question?"

"...Huh?"

"Oh, come on! Did you really forget?! You know, you asked me if anyone will love you for who you are."

Ryuji drew a comical blank expression on his face (._.) as dots grew on his head in a horizontal line, trying to process words that were told to him... until realization struck him.

"Ohhh, that?! Holy shit, you still remember THAT?!"

"Y-Yeah..." Ann rubbed her arm while looking down.

"Wait, where's this comin' from all of a sudden?"

"I just remembered that I still haven't given you an answer yet, because I didn't know what to say back then and... you know what happened last year."

"........."

"Anyway, now I want to give my answer!"

"O-OK..." Ryuji was visibly nervous since he cleared his throat.

Ann took a very long and deep breath to muster her courage before looking at Ryuji directly in the eyes who was tensed up, not knowing what answer awaited him.

"...Yes." Ann simply said.

"Huh..?"

"I said yes. You will find someone who will love you just the way you are. You may be stupid and short-tempered--"

"Hey!"

"--but you're also very kind and considerate. And any girl who wouldn't like you will be totally crazy."

"........!" Ryuji's eyes widened fully at such a reply.

Wait, what?!

"There, I finally said it! Ahhh, it feels really great... as if a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

And with that, Ann smiled and waved to Ryuji before running away, leaving him dumbfounded and stunned in his place.  
Ann's words played in his mind over and over again... and it made him feel weird. His heart was leaping crazily inside his chest as if it was about to jump out of it, his face was heating up, and felt pain in his stomach.  
It all felt weird but beautiful at the same time and brought a lot of memories to him, especially the memory of the first time his eyes laid on Ann during their first year in middle school.

On the other hand, Ann was smiling shyly to herself while walking in the hallways as her cheeks were tinted with a rosy pink color.  
She felt beyond happy at that point like she was on top of the world and flying between clouds... her heart was also beating in ecstasy in her chest and couldn't stop herself from smiling.

_"Yes, someone will love you just for who you are, Ryuji... with your stupidity and aggressiveness."_

_"Because there is already one who fell for you. A long time ago..."_

*******

".........."

Emiko groaned annoyingly to herself as she stood outside the building by the entrance of the school seeing that the rain hasn't stopped yet, and it was even pouring heavier than it was earlier in the morning.  
It was so sudden that none of the students bought any umbrellas and were all running past her to the road with their bags on their heads or taking off their blazers and covering their heads with them.  
Her eyes gazed up at the gloomy dark grey sky and knew that she didn't have any other choice, so she took her bag off her shoulder and placed it on top of her head, then she took a deep breath and ran to the road while closing her eyes.

Except she didn't feel any rain on her...

It was very odd, so she opened her eyes to be surprised that she was perfectly dry even though she was standing under the rain, but what she saw was just unexpected.  
Before her stood Ren with a kind and gentle smile on his face carrying a black umbrella that had both of them under it, and so far he was the only one with an umbrella.  
In the morning before going to school, he heard in the weather report in Leblanc's TV that there was a very small chance of rain, so he got an umbrella nonetheless despite the small chances so what happened to him during his first day at Shujin won't repeat itself again.

Emiko found herself shocked at such a sudden gesture from Ren even though she knew perfectly well how kind his heart was... but what made her really shocked is that he was being kind to her despite everything she did to him so far.  
For one reason or another, she found herself immersed in his eyes unable to look away from them no matter how much she wanted to.

"Here, take it." Ren offered.

"........?"

The next thing she knew, Ren grabbed her wrist and pulled it to him before placing the umbrella in her hand.  
The way his slender fingers brushed against her caused so many emotions to rush back at her from the time he held her hand in Madarame's shack when Yusuke tried drawing Ann for the first time... and all this time, Emiko couldn't keep her eyes away from his.  
However, as a response, Ren smiled at her once more before placing his school bag on his head after sliding it off from his shoulder.

"You can return it to me tomorrow." Ren smiled.

"Huh? Wait--"

"I'll be fine, so don't worry about me. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that said, Ren dashed away from Emiko's side into the rain with the bag on his head to head to the train station so he can return home.  
Moreover, Emiko was still stunned and stood in her place still staring at the direction where he headed off.  
All kinds of emotions were rushing aimlessly inside her to the point of not knowing what to do or how to react... so instead, she remained standing in her place with the sensation of Ren's fingers brushing against hers still lingering.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc------_ **

"I'm back."

Ren spoke weakly while closing the door behind him... but he was terribly soaked with water from head to toe with water dripping from all over his hair and stains blocking the view of his glasses.  
Even though he stood only for mere seconds, a puddle already formed beneath him and he was shaking uncontrollably from the cold getting through his bones.

"What the...? You're all soaked! Hey, where's your umbrella?!" Sojiro's eyes widened from shock.

"I-I gave it to a friend... s-she needed it more than me." He was shaking terribly.

"Unbelievable..." Sojiro sighed hopelessly "Anyway, hurry up and take a bath before catching a cold--"

"A-Achoo!"

"I spoke too soon..." Sojiro shook his head.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take this uniform off!"

"Y-Yes--Achoo!"

"I'm all soaked from the rain too!" Morgana shouted.

With that, Ren walked up to his room in the attic so he could grab some money and a spare of clothes so he could head to the public bathroom to enjoy a nice hot bath.  
He already caught a cold which was a damn shame, but he thought that a hot bath might make him feel a little better. Meanwhile, Morgana kept complaining that he was all wet thanks to Ren's irrational actions, but he smiled at him before drying him off with a towel before trying to dry his own hair as much as possible.  
But as he was about to walk down the stairs, his phone buzzing due to a message he got from the group IM chat.

_Ann: You haven't heard anything from the student council president, have you?_

_Ryuji: Miss Honor Student must be busy kissing ass somewhere._

_Ann: You don't have to be so harsh..._

_Emiko: I actually happen to agree with his statement... for the first time ever._

_Ryuji: Is that s'posed to be a compliment?_

_Emiko: Take it however you want._

_Yusuke: What is this about a student council president?_

_Ann: The one at our school has kinda been keeping tabs on us._

_Ann: I think she's suspicious of us._

_Yusuke: Are you sure it is not merely a result of Ryuji's general misconduct?_

_Ryuji: Shuddup!_

_Emiko: No, she's simply plain terrible._

_Yusuke: Though to be honest, the four of you must certainly stand out._

_Yusuke: So try to be careful._

_Yusuke: I cannot be there to look over you at school, you know._

_Yusuke: That duty rests on your broad shoulders, Ren._

_Ren: Got it. Don't worry about it._

_Ann: I'll make sure to keep an eye on Ryuji too._

_Ann: You too, Emiko._

_Emiko: Whatever._

_Ryuji: Why you gotta single me out...?_

"The others kinda overshadow you sometimes, but don't forget: You're famous too. Just make sure you're careful, OK?" Morgana reminded as the noirest.

"Achoo!"

"Hey, don't sneeze on me! That's gross! Just hurry up and go to the public bathroom before your cold gets worse!"

"Yes, mom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this chapter is finally done!!! Ayeeeeee siiiiir!!! Hip hip horaaaaaaaay!!! Whoop whoop! I'm crazy today, I dunno WTF I'm doing! 😂😂😂
> 
> Now we know Ann's true feelings towards Ryuji!  
> Congrats to all the RyuAnn shippers here! Including myself lol!
> 
> Lmao, along with all the hard-core RenEmi fangirls and fanboys out there which includes me as well. KYAAAAA!!! I JUST LOVE THIS SHIP AND CAN'T GET ENOUGH FROM IT!!! SHIT, I CAN'T STOP FANGIRLING!!! KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! >_<
> 
> What do you think of the chapter? Was it good? Did you enjoy it?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Sep 15/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	23. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Second Advent of the Detective Prince makes his appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now here we are, at last, the social studies trip chapter! A gift to all the Akechi fangirls out there, including me of course, lmao.  
> Without any further ado, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

 

**_\------Next Day: Shujin Academy Hallways------_ **

It was the same morning routine as usual with Ren walking straight to Shujin's main building while scrolling through the news of this morning online on his phone.  
But what was different that morning is that Ren kept sniffing a couple of times or sneeze every now and then.  
The cold he caught the previous day from the rain still had its effects, though he felt a little bit better since Sojiro bought him some cold medicine from the pharmacy while he was in the public bath... and that was rather an oddly kind gesture coming from him, although he kept complaining about how he should've been more careful about his health.  
With all those thoughts roaming his mind, his grey eyes were wandering aimlessly through the many pages and articles online, until a certain piece of news caught his full attention.

" **'Scam Outbreak in Shibuya.' 'Students are the primary victims. Organized crime is suspected here.'** " He read the headlines while making his way into the school building.

"Students getting scammed? That's scary... you should be careful when you go to Shibuya." Morgana popped his head out of the bag.

"You're right..." As the noirest placed his phone inside his pocket.

When Ren was walking in the hallways, he heard murmurs coming nearby... and so to fill his curiosity, he walked toward the direction of the voice until he came across three students standing in front of the bulletin board.

"...What's this? **'A request to the student body'**...?"

"It says they're looking for information. I heard Principal Kobayakawa put it up."

" **'Please consult the student council president if you have any details.'** "

"So we can go to her for anything?"

"Why the student council president though? What does she have to do with Principal Kobayakawa?"

"I mean, Niijima-San is his favorite. Maybe that's why he asked her to do it."

".........." Ren narrowed his eyes in suspicion before walking away to his class.

_"Niijima-Senpai, huh...?"_

*******

**_\------ Student Council Room------_ **

Along the way, Makoto couldn't stop thinking about the announcement that was posted in the school's hallway on the board.  
She knew at that moment that her reputation has gone deep into the ground even more than it already was among her peers and juniors. Makoto was angry and furious due to the fact that Principal Kobayakawa posted that announcement without her consent and approval.  
Shujin's student council president bit her thumb as she opened the door of the student council room, knowing without any doubt that she has become the talk of the school everywhere because it made her look worse than ever.  
Once she stepped into the room, she was met with two pairs of worried eyes that belonged to fellow two male and female student council members who didn't look any less troubled than her.

"President... what is the meaning of that posting?" A male council member asked his president.

"Principal Kobayakawa put that up without my--" Makoto got interrupted.

"We've already received some anonymous information." A female council member spoke "'I heard some students are getting threatened. I'm so scared... please do something.'"

"What...?!" Makoto gasped in shock.

" **'They have dirt on me, and they're demanding money. I can't go to the police... what should I do...?'** Isn't this talking about the crimes that have been rumored to be occurring in Shibuya...?" The male council member questioned.

"So there are even victims at our school... what should we do...?" The female council member asked in concern.

"This isn't the responsibility of the student council. This is frightening for us too..." The male council member crossed his arms looking at Makoto "Principal Kobayakawa called you in yesterday, right? Did he tell you anything about this?"

"Well, no... but I will ask him today after school. Please wait on this for the time being..."

"If you say so..." The male council member trailed.

"...My apologies for the confusion. Don't worry. I'll do something about all of this..."

Yes, she had to do something to stop all of this mess by talking to the principal himself.

The situation was going out of control with all the rules and drama that's been going around at school.  
First, it was Kamoshida, then the Phantom Thieves fiasco, and now this? People blackmailing poor high school students for money? The brown-haired excused herself before walking out of the room and closing the door behind, but once she did, she slowly collapsed on her knees after feeling her body becoming heavier than ever.  
If only one thing was for certain, is that Makoto had a huge burden rested on her shoulders... a lot bigger than what she could possibly handle... and the pressure was crushing her.

A lot.

*******

**_\------After School: The Courtyard------_ **

With a happy hum, Ann made her way to the school's courtyard to grab a drink before going home.  
The area was relatively quiet since most of the students went to their homes already with the exception of a few still lingering there and there to chat among themselves, much to her delightfulness.  
Ann's turquoise eyes darted left and right inside the vending machine while fixing the position of her bag on her shoulder, unable to make a decision given how many choices she had to pick from.

"Hm... which one to choose?" Ann questioned herself looking at the rows of drinks.

"Sounds like the principal's trying to get info on the students. Why do you think he's doing that?" A loud student asked her friend who was sitting on the bench a few feet away from Ann.

"It's probably because of Mr. Kamoshida, right? Condensing what happened with Suzui-San..." A sharp student pointed out.

"........?" The two girls' conversation caught Ann's attention.

"I heard Principal Kobayakawa knew about the sexual harassment too and just turned a blind eye to it. I bet he wants to snuff out any rumors now. Even the volleyball team was told to keep quiet..." The sharp student spoke.

"That's the worst... so that's what he's using Niijima-Senpai for?" The loud student asked.

".........?!" Ann widened her eyes.

"Oh yeah, rumor has it she knew as well. Isn't that horrible? She acts all noble about it too." The sharp student added.

"Niijima-Senpai knew...?" Ann mumbled to herself.

Her eyebrows furrowed at that statement before growling to herself and leaving the area angrily.  
Makoto knew about everything after all? Then why she didn't do anything to stop it? Had she done something, Shiho's incident could've been avoided completely.  
It was that moment when all of Ann's suspicions were confirmed about the student council president, and it was that moment when she felt her blood boiling inside of her veins because of how angry she was.  
And that was also when she knew without any doubt or second thoughts left, that she began hating Makoto more than ever and that her position had lowered a lot in her eyes.  
She hated her! She despised her! She couldn't even tolerate hearing her name anymore!

Anger and hate were overtaking Ann strongly... and it wasn't a beautiful feeling at all.

*******

**_\------Principal's Office------_ **

With an annoyed and frustrated look in her eyes, Makoto made her way into the hallways towards the principal's office.  
It was the first time ever in her life she felt so angry and pissed at someone, especially from someone with a much higher position than hers... she'd normally respect those adults greatly, but that was a different case since Makoto felt insulted because of the principal's actions without taking her feelings into consideration.  
That time, and for the first time ever, Makoto walked inside the office immediately after knocking and without waiting for his response to enter.  
Upon her sudden entrance, Kobayakawa's eyes widened at shock after seeing the anger and rage in Makoto's eyes, but he had a very good and clear idea about her abrupt arrival and unusual behavior.

"What is the meaning of this, Principal Kobayakawa? Why did you post that notice...?" Makoto furrowed her eyebrows.

"It was all for your sake. I thought the more information you had, the easier your investigation would become." Principal Kobayakawa pulled a wide smile before asking "And? Did any information arise about the case I asked you to look into?"

"Nothing yet. I will pass the details along if anything comes up. Right now, there is a more pressing issue..." Makoto started "It appears there are students at Shujin who are being threatened by a criminal organization."

"........?!"

"A student who saw your posting came to us like looking for help... I'd like to request a countermeasure."

"I-Isn't this some sort of mistake? I can't believe this would happen to the students of our academy. Now is no time for such problems. There is still lingering concern regarding the Phantom Thieves..."

"But we received a request for help..."

"I-I'm rather busy at the moment. If you wish to do something, you will need to act on your own."

"...Sir?! Are you sure about this? I am still investigating your case as well..." Makoto widened her eyes.

"Y-Yes, that's correct. It works out perfectly! My intentions have borne fruit. The criminal organization must be the connecting factor. If you pursue this criminal issue, you'll surely find clues about the Phantom Thieves!" Principal Kobayakawa smiled in relief.

"But that's absurd..."

"So... let's say this rumor is true. Do you intend to ignore those students in trouble?" Principal Kobayakawa narrowed his eyes.

"I..." Makoto didn't know how to continue the rebuttal.

"Your sister would have solved this easily if she were in your position. My expectations of you are very high. I hope you don't disappoint." Principal Kobayakawa smiled.

"........." Makoto looked down sadly. Sorrow and despair were brimming in her amber-colored eyes.

She kept asking herself... what did she do to deserve all of this cruel and harsh treatment?  
Makoto was technically being forced to do all of the work for the principal only because he didn't want to get tangled in this mess or dirty his hands with it.  
Again, he was using his position to blackmail Makoto to ensure that she'll get the job done given the high expectation for her to fulfill since she was the student council president and an honor student favored by the teachers.  
Not to make matters even worse, Kobayakawa didn't stop mentioning her sister whenever Makoto felt reluctant about his methods or commands to her just to make her feel more guilty.  
It was all just too much and wanted it to stop at that moment, feeling that she was on the edge of crying... she never felt so helpless before in a very long time.

And she hated every single moment of it.

*******

**_\------Shibuya Underground Mall------_ **

The area was brimming with life and business due to the huge number of people walking here and there, mixed with the shouts and cries from kids around.  
It seemed like a busy shopping day since most of the shops were filled with people, giving the underground mall a hyper and lively vibe.  
Though the crowd was crushing, that didn't stop passers-by from stopping by the windows of shops or wander around aimlessly to kill some time after a tiring and long day at work or school.  
And among the crowds, stood a specific raven-haired boy who was carefully making his way between people and students with his eyes darting here and there excitedly as if he had absolutely no idea where to look, and with him was his loyal black cat that had a big grin plastered while looking around.

"Even if I've been here in Tokyo for two months already, but I've never been here until now." Ren looked around him in awe, not believing a whole mall could exist underground.

"Wow, this is pretty impressive!" Morgana was no less impressed.

With his eyes sparkling in excitement, Ren made his way into the crowd of people, checking the fronts of every shop he came across and unable to maintain the big smile that was printed on his lips.  
He had seen wonders in Tokyo for the past two months, but this was just on a whole new level, especially how the underground mall literally had everything from clothes shops to souvenirs stores to bookstores and food stands laying there and there that filled the air with mixed yet delicious aromas.  
He excitedly and happily scanned what the shops could offer to him from the windows as his grin grew wider from ear to ear like a little child who found his favorite candy.  
Ren really wanted to check every shop in there, but the place was just too big and couldn't possibly explore it entirely in one day.

But, little did he know was the presence of a brown-haired girl hiding her face behind a magazine while tailing him almost everywhere he went for quite some time without him even noticing.  
Going as far as literally stalking a student? Sure it was extreme, but Makoto needed answers no matter what the cost might be... and what target would be better than the person who stood in the center of her suspicions?

".........?!" Ren stopped his tracks while looking behind him in suspicion.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"........." Makoto slightly lifted her face from the magazine she carried while grunting in skepticism.

A classic and clichéd stealth skill.

But then, Ren's grey eyes fell on a fellow brown-haired glasses-wearing classmate of his who exited a bookstore with a bag in her hand and was walking to his direction... and then their eyes met one another.

"Fancy seeing you here." Emiko commented nonchalantly.

"Perfect timing, Emiko! Let's go and see that store together!" Ren quickly grabbed Emiko from her wrist, dragging her along with him.

"Hey, what are you--"

".........!" Makoto widened her eyes at Ren's sudden action before rushing behind him.

Ren ran along with the brown-haired between the crowd of people while pushing some of them away from their way forcefully, thus earning painful yelps and scolding from others.  
The dark-haired continued dragging Emiko behind him despite her protests or Morgana's calls to stop... he felt like he couldn't hear anything at that moment, and only cared about losing the trace of the nosy prez.  
Finally, he reached a corner where he rested his back against the wall while wrapping his arm around Emiko, pulling her close to him with her back leaning against his chest before placing his other unoccupied hand over her mouth.  
The noirest could feel Emiko flinching at the sudden position and her body tensing up while squirming under his firm grip.

"Ssssh, be quiet." Ren whispered to the girl.

It seemed like Ren's words managed to calm the girl down somehow since her shoulders dropped and stopped squirming and resisting. She swore that she could feel his heartbeat beating fast given how his chest was resting against her back directly... then she looked up seeing how he had a cold sweat rolling down his face which could only mean that he was afraid of something?  
He peeked his head out of the corner seeing Makoto looking around her nervously and running her hand through her hair in frustration before running away. Along the process, Emiko also took a peek and saw Makoto running around, and that was when she understood everything.  
Once Ren made sure that the coast was clear after Makoto ran away, he dragged Emiko with him again from the corner after removing his hand from her mouth.

"You could've warned me at least, you know." Emiko scolded.

"There was no time since she was following me."

Emiko closed her eyes for a second before asking "Since when this started?"

"I'm not sure. I just saw her like this now for the first time."

"I see... now that the prez took this to a whole new level, we need to be even more cautious than ever."

"Right..."

"Anyway, I saw you exiting a bookstore earlier. What did you get?" Ren pointed at her bag.

"Th-That's none of your business...!" Emiko pulled the bag close to her chest.

She seemed a little... embarrassed? Wow, that was new, thus Ren couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips.

"What are you smiling at?" Emiko raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, nothing." He chuckled.

"How about I wipe that stupid smile on your face by ripping your arm off from its place? The only reason that stopped me from breaking your bones when you dragged me behind you is seeing Niijima-Senpai chasing after you."

"No, that won't be necessary. I'd like to keep my arm, thank you very much." Ren sweatdropped.

_"Is this really the girl who I gave her my umbrella yesterday and caught a cold because of her...?"_

*******

**_\------Next Day: TV Station------_ **

The day of the awaited trip finally came, so all of Shujin's student head to the assigned TV station for the so-called **'educational purposes'** of the trip.  
The students were listening to a PR woman who was kindly explaining them all the details they needed to know about shooting, editing, and airing on TV.  
A lot of the students looked like they were dozing off and seemed bored, sleepy, dozed off, and wanted to get the hell over with that long and unnecessary lecture, especially Ryuji... obviously since he couldn't stop yawning, much to the annoyance of his friends.  
The whole point of that lecture was really uncalled-for because almost everyone knew the process of filming and shooting, and they could just simply look up online for the information they didn't know, so they were basically wasting their and the staff's time.

"...And that's why we recruit sponsors to help make TV shows. I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor-related product placements. To sum things up, ratings are vitally important for a station's production funding, and..." A PR woman was speaking.

"Huh..." Ryuji trailed.

".........." Ren had a blank expression on his face.

"He ain't even listenin'..."

"For example, soap-opera reruns are shown in the day, whereas alluring newswomen are broadcast at night. Thus, the scheduling department is where we decide what time we broadcast which program. I suppose you could say it's the place where the scheduling is determined"

"Could this get any more obvious...?" Ann questioned quietly.

"........." Again, Ren's face was blank.

"........" And Emiko was typing on her phone, not buying this whole thing.

"Wow... they're not even listening to what I said..." Ann commented.

"So, the best parts are taken from the footage in order to cut down the program to the desired length. The place where this filmed footage is edited would be the editing room."

"Hey, how much longer does this go?" Morgana popped his head out of Ren's bag.

"I swear, I'm not gonna last..." Ryuji yawned.

At that moment, a man walked near Ren, forcefully elbowing him in the process while growling to himself and just continued on his way without even bothering himself to look back and apologize.

"Hrgh...?!" Morgana felt like he got crushed by that forceful bump.

"What's going on? I can't stand all this noise." A famous newscaster complained who walked right past Ren.

"Hey, assho--" Ryuji got interrupted by Emiko smacking his head.

"Be quiet, you idiot...!" She whisper-shouted.

"My apologies! I'll have them leave right away! Now then, it's time for a bit of hands-on experience." The PR woman announced.

And with that said, the students were dismissed and started walking around freely in the TV studio, glad that this was finally over.

"Dammit...who does that jerk think he is?" Ryuji groaned angrily.

"Hey there. You wanna be on TV?" A bossy AD approached Ann.

"Huh?" Ann gasped softly.

"You've got a slammin' bod, after all. Hehehe..."

"Uh... I'm on a school trip..."

"Just gimme a call if you're interested. I'd greatly welcome a message from you, day or night."

"Uhhh, yeah..."

"Greatly welcome, my ass. It's obvious what he's after. Can't these rotten adults care about anything other than looks?! I'll yank their stupid hearts out, dammit!" Ryuji told himself angrily.

"Will you quiet down?! You're supposed to be acting like good students today!" Morgana scolded.

But then, Morgana went back to his hiding spot in the bag upon realizing that Ms. Kawakami was walking towards them.

"I understand you're bored, but please don't cause any trouble, OK?" Ms. Kawakami reminded.

"Well then, uhhh..." The bossy AD trailed "Let's have you see what it's like to be an AC. Oh, that stands for **'assistant camera.'** When we're moving cameras, we need people who'll get the cables from getting tangled up..."

".........?!" Ryuji's eyes widened.

"The blonde will do. He seems like he's got energy to spare anyway. Guy next to him, you can come too if you're feeling lonely. C'mon, hurry up and grab the cables!"

"Dammit... this sucks!" Ryuji complained.

In the end, both Ryuji and Ren were dragged along by the bossy AD with him giving Ren an extremely long cable and asking him to hold while following the cameraman while filming an interview in which he obeyed since he was obligated to do so.  
However, Ryuji leaned his back against the wall while watching the interview taking place with a young high school student sitting next to her mother.

The interviewee had long dark hair with bangs, dark green eyes, and wore a red hair accessory resembling a rope with a three-leaf clover.  
Those knots were often used for omamori, which were used for offerings and prayers.  
She wore her high school's uniform which consisted of a blue blazer with a star emblem associated with a long-sleeved white dress shirt can barely be seen under it, along with a black-and-white bow.  
She also had a black skirt, knee-high white socks, and black dress shoes.

"Hey, blondie. Wrangle this cable." The bossy AD handed him a cable.

"Wha...?!"

Ren walked past him as his glasses glimmered while he smiled confidently without even breaking a sweat... he just made this look very easy.

"Urghhh, what a pain in the ass! This is totally killin' my vibe..."

Ultimately, Ryuji fought valiantly against the long cables as Ren didn't seem to have any problem with it... but the blonde-haired ended up having a sore back, especially after feeling some of his bones cracking under the pressure, and yet Ren was still perfectly fine without even getting tired or bored.  
And after what seemed like a hellish eternity, the interview was finally over since the lights went out and the interviewer got up with the girl and her mother, heading for the exit but for one reason or another, the girl kept a sad expression on her face through the interview while her mother was excited and happy.

"Good work! Well, we're done taping, so I'll take you to the green room."

"A celeb! Her aura is different! But who is she again?" Ryuji asked Mishima who was standing next to him.

"She's popular right now! You know, for shogi." Mishima replied before walking away "I wonder if there are more celebrities around!"

With that, Ren sweatdropped heavily.

*******

**_\------Time Skip: Afternoon------_ **

Even after the whole cables fiasco was finally over, Ryuji was still extremely pissed off at the bossy AD's attitude.  
He walked in the hallway with Ren next to him while growling angrily and swearing incomprehensible gibberish to himself much to Ren's worry about his best buddy.

"I'm so pissed off! Aren't we supposed to be guests? Why the hell do we hafta be doin' manual labor?! This is bullshit! Goin' to the bathroom didn't even make me feel better!"

"Quiet down, will you? I get how you feel though... that sucked for the both of us." Ann approached the two along with Emiko.

"At least you didn't have to deal with perverts as I did... if only I broke his arm as a lesson..." Mikki mumbled the last part, but loud enough for Ren to hear which caused him to sweatdrop once more.

"I'm beat! I messed up choosin' the TV station. Shoulda gone to the instant ramen factory!" Ryuji let out a distressed sigh.

"Here." Ann offered him the card that the producer gave to her.

"Not interested." Ryuji declined the offer before looking around him "Hey, where's Mishima?"

"Exploring... or something." Ren replied.

"Can't say I'm surprised." Emiko commented.

*******

**_\-------Meanwhile------_ **

A certain volleyball player was standing outside the green room with a wide grin on his face, looking anticipated to meet some celebrities.  
But then, the hand of a security guard was placed on his shoulder, and that caused Mishima to turn around to face him before immediately turning pale in color and nearly jumping from his place.

"I didn't do it!"

"D-Do what?" The security guard asked awkwardly.

*******

"How boring. Didn't think it'd be this much of a let-down. We gotta do more of this tomorrow too...?" Ryuji whined.

"No flaking out, Ryuji!" Morgana reminded.

"I know, I know. I gotta be a 'good boy,' right? Bein' phantom thieves ain't easy..." Ryuji said looking a little tired.

"Whoever said that it's going to be an easy task, idiot?" Emiko mocked the blondie.

"Knock it off, Mikki! I'm tired of this crap, y'know...!" Ryuji replied.

"That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?" Ann suggested.

"Ooh, I know a place! I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked delicious! What was that?" Morgana chirped.

"Ohhh... you mean Dome Town? The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside they've got an amusement park." Ryuji explained.

"It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too." Ann stated.

"All right... let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!" Morgana laughed proudly.

"Going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage." Ann commented.

"Not like cats can get on anyways." Ryuji added.

"Really...?" Morgana tilted his head.

"Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that. But uh... let's just go to Dome Town! I'm really feelin' it now!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Me too! My stomach's ready for roller coasters!" Ann followed "And you, Emiko?"

"It's not like I have any other choice anyway..."

"And you, Ren?" Ann smiled at him sweetly.

"Well, if everyone's going..."

"Perfect!" She clapped her hands.

"Uhhh... I think I'll pass on the puke rides..." Morgana trailed uncomfortably.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?"

Suddenly, Akechi approached the group upon spotting them in the hallway.  
His appearance caused both Ren and Emiko to feel more alert and raise their guard, given the position he was at.

"Yeah, whaddya want?" Ryuji asked.

"I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all. Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

"Akechi...?" Ann trailed, sensing that the name was familiar.

"Filming? What, you a celebrity?" Ryuji asked shockingly.

"Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times."

Then, his eyes fell on Emiko which made his lips curve upward to an amused smile before her gaze met his as well, but she still kept a cool and blank expression on her face like always.

"Hayashi-San." He nodded in acknowledgment at her presence.

"Akechi." She did the same.

After that, they all remained silent looking at Akechi until Ann finally broke the silence.

"Oh...!" Ann seemed like she remembered something.

After that, Akechi looked at his phone at the time saying "My apologies. I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend. So you're going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself..." He laughed.

"Huh? Cake...? What're you talkin' about?" Ryuji was confused.

"Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes..."

".........." Emiko narrowed her eyes.

"No matter. Welp, see you tomorrow. I'll have to drop by your coffee shop again." Akechi looked at the noirest.

"Sure." Ren nodded as Akechi walked away.

"Dude, what the hell?! You know him?!" Ryuji shouted.

"Kinda..."

"You too, Emiko?!" Ann followed.

"We only played a game of chess together once in Leblanc."

"And you never told us?!" Ryuji added while gasping.

"Because it didn't seem important back then. Now quit your yapping, it's really disturbing to my ears."

"That guy's gotta be some kinda start-up entertainer or something. He's never gonna get popular with that kinda hair though." Ryuji added with a grin.

"You don't get it..." Ann held her nose while shaking her head.

"Eh, it's fine. We'll see him again tomorrow anyways. Come on, let's get to Dome Town!" Ryuji started walking away before being followed by the others.

"H-Hey, can we skip the vomit machines and get cake instead?" Morgana asked nervously.

*******

**_\------Time Skip: Dome Town------_ **

It was one of the best days in their lives ever! Well... almost.  
The teenagers spent the rest of the day wandering between different rides in the amusement park that varied between the Ferris wheel, racing cars, and then the roller coaster... and that was when the nightmare began.  
Their screams filled the entire park that were mixed between terror and excitement--the terrified and high-pitched screams mostly came from Ryuji and Morgana, and ironically none of the rest ever considered they could reach such high notes like they way they did.  
When that ride was over, the group walked together toward the exit of the park with Ryuji and Morgana looking completely worn out and were about to throw up on the spot.

"I feel like I'm gonna puke... for real, my stomach's churnin'..." Ryuji trailed while clutching his stomach.

"That's why I spoke against it." Morgana argued.

"Dude... it's not fair... usin' your cathood as an excuse... only at times like this..." Ryuji growled.

 _"Like seriously... that roller coaster was so amazing! The excitement, the screams, the loops, and aaaahhhh...!"_ Emiko screamed mentally.

"Did you have fun, Emiko?" Ren asked calmly.

"Eh, it was all right... I guess."

"Anyway, are you guys feeling hungry? How about some pancakes?" Ann suggested.

"Let's go home. We have another full day ahead of us tomorrow." Morgana said.

*******

**_\------Next Day: TV Station------_ **

It was the awaited day of filming the interview, thus Shujin's students filled the set with them watching an announcer and an AD preparing themselves by having the makeup and hair team fixing them up quickly before the shooting.  
It was something new and unique watching an interview getting filmed right before their eyes, so many students couldn't hide their excitement or nervousness as they sat on the chairs, along with murmurs and whispers bursting there and there.

"Man, I'm kinda nervous." Ryuji spoke.

"Why would you be nervous?" Ann looked at him.

".........." Emiko grunted to herself.

"Mr. Akechi's coming on!" A veteran AD announced.

The female students started fangirling and cheering crazily at the moment Akechi came on the stage for the interview who gave them a charming smile while waving at them, and that only caused many of them to feel like they were going to pass out from how charming and princely he was.

"Ain't that the guy from yesterday...?" Ryuji whispered.

"........?!" Akechi's eyes spotted Ren between the audience before his lips curved into a delighted smile.

"Cutting back from the commercial! Seven, six, five seconds till start, four, three...." And the show started live on air.

"And now, onto the **'Hottest Meet-and-Greet'** segment of our show... after his last appearance was so well-received, we decide to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high detective, Goro Akechi!" A cute announcer introduced happily.

The female students started cooing and fangirling yet again at Akechi's presence as he smiled again.

"Hello there."

"Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-Kun. Your popularity is stunning." The veteran AD exclaimed.

"Even I've found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing though..." Akechi trailed.

"Moving along, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?" The cute announcer asked.

"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame." Akechi replied.

"........!" Ren slightly widened his eyes.

"There it is! All of this Phantom Thieves excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-Kun! Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?" The veteran AD questioned.

"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist."

"Ohhh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?" The veteran AD's interest was piqued.

"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed. Although if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering." Akechi chuckled.

A lot of students began to laugh uncontrollably at such a corny joke, minus the four teenage thieves who gave him sharp stares from their seats.

".........." Ryuji stayed silent while glaring at Akechi.

"But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real... I believe they should be tried in a court of law." Akechi stated firmly.

His tone and eyes were deadly serious. No joking around.

"........?!" The four teenagers widened their eyes in shock.

"That's quite the statement. Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways." The veteran AD argued.

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart."

"Who does he think he is?!" Ryuji mumbled angrily.

"You have a point. These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves, after all. Amazing as always, Akechi-Kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!" The veteran AD chirped.

"I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out that these Phantom Thieves don't exist. If that were the case, I'd summarize it into a report as a school project."

The students began murmuring and whispering among each other at the last statement, and yet the group couldn't take their eyes off him... it was only natural since they felt like he was verbally attacking them and what they were doing for the sake of innocent people.

"Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-Kun about the Phantom Thieves! First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!" The cute announcer notified.

"Of course they do!" Ryuji mumbled.

The students pressed their buttons when the score was given on the screen after a few seconds only.

"About 30% or so? What are your thoughts, Akechi-Kun?" The veteran AD asked.

"I'm a bit surprised. That's higher than I was expecting. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves' actions."

The cute announcer stood up, walking between the students who present in the studio to pick a student with her eyes darting left and right at their faces until she stopped right next to Ren.

"All right, let's try asking this student here." She held the microphone in her hand.

"Eh?"

"Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"

A brief moment of silence, then...

"They're justice itself." Ren replied firmly.

"Hahaha!" Akechi laughed and followed by the students.

"This completely goes against the opinion you had about them being tried by law, Akechi-Kun." The veteran AD stated.

"Indeed. It's rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgment. In that case, there's one more question I'd like to ask... if someone close to you, for example, your friend next to you... if his heart suddenly changed... wouldn't you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"

"Not at all." Ren looked into Akechi's eyes intensely.

"I see. But how can you be so sure? Whether the Thieves' actions are good or not, I feel there is a more important issue at hand." Akechi spoke as the cute announcer returned and sat back down on the sofa.

"Hm? What do you mean?" The veteran AD got curious.

"The matter of how they changed people's hearts. If they honestly possess that ability... it could be used for more than extracting confessions. It could be that what seem to be ordinary crimes are actually being perpetrated by these methods..."

"You know, you're absolutely right." The veteran AD agreed.

"Screw you!" Ryuji growled angrily.

"Oh, please don't misunderstand. This is all purely hypothetical... it is only if people who can use such a power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. This existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but a threat to our everyday lives. To be honest, I'm already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter." Akechi explained, making the female students went wild with their cooing and cheering.

"The police..." Ren mumbled.

With that, the word **'cut'** could be heard from the cameraman, making the announcer and the AD stand up and shake hands with the high school detective to thank him for giving them his time, in which he smiled politely and thanked them as well.  
With annoyed groans hoping it lasted a bit longer, the students got up from their chairs and started exiting the studio since it was the cue to go home.  
However, Ren was still sitting in his place with a serious expression on his face while recalling the words that were told in the interview... he sighed deeply before getting up upon hearing his homeroom teacher's calls.

"All right, dismissed. Everyone, go straight home." Ms. Kawakami announced before looking at Mishima "Especially you. Do not cause any more trouble."

"I-I didn't! I was just observing like we were supposed to do!"

"It kinda seemed like what he was saying might be right..." Ann trailed as soon as Ren approached the others.

"He made it sound like we're the baddies. I don't like it." Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows.

"But that stuff about the police... do you think it's for real?" Ann asked worriedly.

Emiko's fists clenched tightly as she gritted her teeth angrily, feeling angry and frustrated after listening to Akechi's words about the Phantom Thieves like that.  
But hold on, why would she feel attacked and insulted like the others? She only joined the group for the sole purpose of proving her point about good and evil, so she shouldn't care less if someone talked trash about them.  
She couldn't be... no, it was impossible. That couldn't be happening, could it?

"He can say whatever he wants. The justice of it all is something we can decide for ourselves." Morgana stated.

"Oh sorry, I gotta go take a leak. Can you guys wait here? I'll be right back." Ryuji said before running off to the bathroom.

"Oh my God... I'm gonna keep going, OK?" Ann started walking away quickly like she's seen a ghost.

"Oh, it's you two...!" Akechi exclaimed while walking towards Ren and Mikki "I'm glad I found you. I wanted to thank you in person. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis..."

"I beg your pardon?" Mikki spoke.

"Haha, my apologies. What I mean is that our discussion was quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did earlier, Amamiya. Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do as the adults say. I feel like our discussions could prove quite fruitful. Would you mind talking with me again?"

"Fine by me. I don't see the trouble at all."

"Thank you. It makes me glad to hear that. The students from Shujin are truly quite interesting. I look forward to seeing you again. And I sincerely hope we can have another game of chess together in the future, Hayashi-San."

"Of course."

"Well then..." And with that, Akechi walked away.

"...Talk about a problematic guy to get involved with. There's probably a lot we can learn from him though." Morgana popped his head out of the bag.

"Right..." Akira just sighed sadly.

 _"Goro Akechi... huh? An interesting person, I must say."_ The brown-haired thought to herself.

 

_**"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of The Justice Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."**_ These words rang inside Ren and Emiko's heads.

  
"Sorry for takin' so long! ...Wait, was that Akechi? I can't stand that high and mighty attitude...! Just breathin' the same air as him makes me sick. C'mon, guys, let's go." Ryuji said before walking away.

Ren and Emiko followed behind and kept thinking about the whole interview.  
The leader of the group couldn't shake off the feeling of being bombarded, mocked, and laughed at... while Mikki had mixed and unstable thoughts about the whole issue.  
Could two people so different like them exist together and be teammates at the same time? Ren and Emiko were like water and oil, after all.

*******

**_\------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------_ **

As soon as Ren reached home and went to his room, he threw his school bag on the table before collapsing on this bed.  
He was extremely exhausted and felt like his body was aching from all the tiredness he felt... he didn't even have the energy to think about anything at that moment since the only thing he desired to do so much was to sleep.  
Morgana hopped onto the bed and noticed Ren's state in which caused him to feel sorry and worried about him... since the noirest was pushing himself hard lately in school and in the phantom thievery in which that started affecting his health.  
Hence, his skin looked a little paler than before and his appetite for food decreased as well.  
Sure, living a double life wasn't easy, but that shouldn't be on the extent of his health and well-being.

"What a boring field trip. We didn't even find any worthwhile targets." Morgana sighed deeply "Hey, are you OK there?"

"I'm tired..."

But as soon as his eyes were about to close, the sound of his phone buzzing snapped them open before taking his phone to open the group IM chat.

_Ryuji: That Akechi bastard... thinking about what he said is just pissing me off again._

_Ann: He clearly tried to discredit everything we're doing._

_Ryuji: And he just had to say it on live TV too!_

_Yusuke: Don't be so sour._

_Yusuke: There are, without a doubt, people we have saved._

_Yusuke: Those people could not have been saved if not for the heroics of the Phantom Thieves._

_Yusuke: I am living proud of that._

_Ryuji: Awww, what a nice thing to say!_

_Emiko: I... can't disagree._

_Ann: Still... was what Akechi-Kun said actually wrong?_

_Ann: I feel like he had a point._

_Emiko: You too, huh?_

_Emiko: I felt the same way too, actually._

_Ryuji: Why you gotta bring that up now?_

_Ann: I mean, is it really OK to be doing this to people just because they're criminals?_

_Ann: Doesn't it seem a little selfish?_

_Emiko: Selfish..._

_Yusuke: We are phantom thieves, Ann._

_Yusuke: I doubt everyone would forgive us for what we did to Madarame._

_Yusuke: Yet, I still decided that it was a necessary act._

_Ryuji: Kamoshida too. We weren't gonna do shit to him through any kinda normal methods._

_Ann: That's true, but..._

_Emiko: That's... debatable._

_Ann: What do you think, Ren? Are we being selfish?_

_Ren: Of course not. All this time we've been helping people._

_Ann: I guess I can't really think of any other way..._

_Yusuke: Hm, I believe our best path forward is sticking to our justice, not that of the law._

_Yusuke: Shouldn't that be enough?_

_Yusuke: And with the unanimous decision rule in place, I doubt we'll lose our way._

_Emiko: Good point._

_Ann: ...Yeah, you're right._

_Ann: Sorry for bringing that up._

_Ann: And don't worry, I'm not thinking about quitting the Phantom Thieves or anything._

_Ryuji: Just you watch, Akechi._

_Ryuji: Someday you're totally gonna see who was right!_

_Ann: OK, let's stop talking about this for now._

"That detective Akechi seems to have a lot of influence on the media. It'd be dangerous to get too close to him, but he may actually prove useful in some situations." Morgana commented.

However, Morgana didn't hear any response, so he shifted his gaze to see that Ren had already fallen asleep with the phone in his hand after typing his message... he also still had his glasses on, so Morgana took it off with his mouth so Ren won't injure his face if he turned around.  
The dark-haired chest was moving up and down in sync with his calm breathing with a peaceful expression on his face.  
He was sleeping soundly like a small child in which Morgana couldn't help himself but smile at such an adorable and defenseless scene of Ren.

"Sleep tight, Ren... you deserve it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I'm back, guys! And I'm actually quite proud of the direction where the story is going.
> 
> There'll be some mind-blowing plot twists in the future. I GUARANTEE!!! ;)
> 
> Will there be a fourth ship? No one knows...
> 
> And AAAHHHHHH!!! A SLEEPING REN IS SO ADORABLE, LIKE OMG I'M DYING!!! (≧∇≦)
> 
> Anyways, what did you think of this chapter? Liked it?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Sun/Sep 22/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	24. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tangled hearts and unclear emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update tiiiiime~  
> Gosh dang it, I'm SOOOOOOO sorry for taking such a long time to update, plz don't roast me in the comments, ppl :'(  
> I've been taking a short break to energize myself by watching anime since it's been a while since the last time, tbh. But I'm back now, so here's a new chappie from your favorite story from your beloved Author-Chan~  
> Without any further ado, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

 

 

_**\------Next Day Lunchtime: Shujin Academy Courtyard------** _

That day was particularly frustrating for Phantom Thieves members, especially due to the comments Akechi made the previous day during the TV interview, and to make matters even worse, it all happened in front of their eyes and were forced to listen to such toxic words without opening their mouths with anything, otherwise their identities will face the risk of expulsion... hence, Ryuji being able to control himself and not yell at Akechi during the interview was a miracle alone.  
On the other hand, Ren standing up for the name of the group and saying that they're justice itself right in his face was admirable and saved very little of their faces from total embarrassment and verbal attack, but even with that, Ryuji was just angry to beyond his limits that he could barely concentrate during classes, even more than the normal day when everything would be just fine but no, today was different in many aspects.  
And even during lunchtime, he couldn't eat much because of how angry and frustrated, so he lost his appetite for food, much to his annoyance above to the ace detective's words that just refused to let him go.   
So, he ended up calling for Ren and the girls to meet up with him in the courtyard to discuss that one specific matter.

"...Man, that detective from yesterday really pissed me off! We're some kinda threat? Let's see him do it, then! If someone else could help 'em, we wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves to start with!" Ryuji punched the vending machine in frustration.

"........." Ren stayed quiet as he held his chin.

Almost on cue with his words, Ann walked to the group along with Emiko, walking a few steps behind her, while carrying a cylinder-like green carton box in her hand which had the logo 'Jagariko' written on it that contained vegetable-flavored potato sticks in it.   
As soon as she heard Ryuji's scream, Ann slowly approached him from behind and gave him a powerful smack on the back of his head using as much force as she could, thus the sound of the smack rang in the others' ears.

"Ow." Ryuji yelped from pain.

"You're being way too loud." Ann's voice was somehow muffled since her mouth was still filled with the Jagariko potato sticks, munching them.

"Who cares? Everybody's talkin' about this stuff anyways. It'd just be more suspicious if we were whisperin'." The blonde-haired boy frowned.

"Says who's always yelling all the time." Emiko commented nonchalantly while twirling the ends of her hair with her index finger.

"Sh-Shuddup, Mikki! It's true, y'know!"

The platinum-haired girl shrugged her shoulders in indifference as she took another potato stick from the box and stuffed it in her mouth.  
That piece was followed by a second, a third, and kept on munching them while mumbling happily to herself, only to be surrounded by the comical blank expressions of the other three (._.) as they watched her eating with such an open appetite... especially after seeing that she was completely ignoring their presence as if they never existed in the first place.

"Hey, you really just gonna keep eatin' and eatin' and eatin' those things all by yourself? Gimme some!" Ryuji called.

"Sorry, just ate the last one." Ann showed the empty box after swallowing her last bite.

"Serves you right." Mikki scoffed.

"Hey!" Ryuji snapped.

"You guys are too laid back. The police are getting involved now, you know." Morgana reminded.

"So you think it's true...? We'll be OK if we keep doing this... right?" Ann asked worriedly.

"We can't let the cops scare us outta bein' phantom thieves." Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows.

"But... what about that weird guy from Madarame's Palace...? Isn't there a lot we don't know?" Ann looked at her teammates anxiously.

"That's true though... and I've been wondering about that myself. Seems like trouble..." Emiko hugged her arms as she mumbled to herself.

"A black mask... huh?" Ren narrowed his eyes, thinking deeply.

Ann was absolutely right, there was indeed a lot they didn't know yet about the intruder who lurked in the shadows of the Metaverse, so Ren could perfectly understand Ann's hesitation about all that.  
The Phantom Thieves were now up against the unknown; an entity with little to nothing known about it who mostly was the reason behind the mental shutdowns, especially after learning that killing the Shadow will result in that.  
The true criminal behind all the crimes that were terrorizing the country, huh... it was genuinely scary and terrifying.  
But then, out of the blue, a strong white light flashed from nowhere, blinding the teens' eyes for a moment... but when they turned their faces to look at its source, they saw Makoto standing across them with her phone in her hand, which could only mean that she was the one who snapped a picture of them.

Since when she stood there anyway? Not that it was her first time since she literally followed Ren once in the underground mall but was too much and it has gone too far.

"The hell?" Ryuji startled as they all looked at the student council president.

Right, they couldn't help themselves to shoot her disapproval, annoyed, and angry glares at her terrible actions at showing up at them when they would be gathered like that--the first time being on the school's rooftop.

"You four seem to be having so much fun. I'm a little jealous." Makoto smiled softly.

"Are you snoopin' on us again? We said before, we don't know nothin'." Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows.

"Is a student council president's duty is to spy on the students?" Ren adjusted his glasses.

"Why do you think that I'm here to question you? Could it be that you're hiding something? My ears are always open to the troubles of my peers, you know." Makoto pointed out for the-matter-of-factly.

"You're really that hungry for a good letter of recommendation? ...Of course you are. Nobody would take on your annoying job if they weren't." Ann spoke angrily

"What's that supposed to mean...?" Makoto narrowed her eyes.

"...You're student council president, right? Wouldn't you have known about Kamoshida?" Ann took a step forward firmly.

"Of course not! He honestly was a good teacher until that day..." Makoto looked down.

"Oh, but you always take the teacher's side. That's what a good council president does, right?" Ann turned her head away angrily.

"Then... how about you? What did you do for your friend? You were much closer to her than I was, so how did you help?"

Hearing that one specific sentence, Emiko's fists clenched tightly as she gritted her teeth strongly, and even her knuckles were beginning to turn white from how much force she implied on them despite the feeling of her blood boiling inside her veins.  
She felt extremely beyond angry at that point at Makoto's words to the degree that she felt like she would snap at any moment... hence, she even felt herself personally offended by her words for a reason and like she was the one being attacked by her question instead of Ann, and it felt so irritating.  
With swift moves, Emiko made her way past Ann and the boys and stood right in front of Makoto, facing her eye to eye, but something wasn't right about her at all...  
Emiko's was was dark, evil, and demonic as she stared intensely at Makoto with her somehow hollow eyes as if she was piercing right through her soul, and those eyes of hers never failed to send shivers down everyone's spines--it could be said that her piercing gaze was a lot worse and serious than the time she stared at Ann during Ren's first day at school under the rain. Her teammates couldn't hide their shock, surprise, and fear from her terrifying persona as cold sweat rolled down their faces and felt their hearts racing a bit.

Even Makoto was taken aback by such an intimidating demonic glare that caused a chill to run through her as she took one step backward, for what she saw...

Were the eyes of a true murderer...

"Stay away from her. Don't try me, Niijima-Senpai, you know the rumors about me... and I never joke around." Her voice was low and serious, holding no signs of joking.

"........." A cold sweat rolled down Makoto's face as she clenched her jaw.

Emiko looked more terrifying than ever and seemed like she truly was ready to murder the student council president on the spot.

"..........!" Ren and Ryuji looked at the scene with wide eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

 _"That girl..."_ Morgana narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he slightly popped his head out of Ren's bag.

"There wasn't any way to help! By myself... I couldn't do anything for her!" Ann shouted as she took one step forward.

"There's no need to shout." Makoto turned her face away. Her voice held sadness and sorrow within.

"If those Phantom Thieves are out there helpin' people... I'd root for 'em, no questions asked. They've gotta be more dependable than some people I know." Ryuji glared at Makoto, referring to her by his statement.

"...Just make sure you show up to your classes, all right?" Makoto said sadly before leaving the area.

"You know what I asked earlier about whether we'll be OK if we keep this up? I take it back. I'd be ashamed to let it end now..." Ann spoke firmly, showing no sign of hesitation.

"Ann..." Ren trailed.

"Hell yeah. It's about time we find our next target too." Ryuji added seriously.

Ren and Ann looked at Ryuji and gave him a nod in acknowledgment now that they've settled their goal and got a clear idea about what must be done next.

"But holy shit, Mikki! You totally scared miss prez!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Yeah, so thank you very much for getting my back, Emiko!" Ann smiled at her sweetly.

 _"Why... why did I do that...?"_ Emiko held her head in her hand as sweat started rolling down her face.

Her eyes twitched and felt as if her heartstrings were being pulled tightly inside her chest.  
Her breath hitched and began to quick and her arms were shaking ever so slightly as the world was vanishing before her eyes turning to black... then, she could see the blurring image of a pool of crimson liquid reaching her legs before hearing high-pitched screams of agony piercing through her ears as words echoed in her mind.

_**"A-a-a-a-a-a...!"** _

_**"What... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"** _

_**"A-a-a-a-a... AAAAAHHHHHHH!"** _

_"No, no, no, no...! Stay out from my mind, dammit! Just leave me alone already!"_ She kept chanting that word in her mind as she shut her eyes tightly.

"Mikki...?" Ryuji called hesitantly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ann asked worriedly.

With a genuinely worried look in his eyes, Ren tried to reach his hand for Emiko to give her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder so she could calm down, but she violently slapped his hand away, earning a surprised yelp from him along with shocked eyes and gasps from the two blondes along with the cat.  
Ren only wanted to reassure the girl as she seemed really scared from something that's been haunting her for a long time now, and that was how she replied? With ingratitude?

"Don't... touch me..." She inhaled sharply "If you value your life, then stay away from me, all of you..."

And with that scrawl, she started walking away, leaving a stunned Ren behind her after seeing such a reaction while the other two blondies also had struggled and uneasy facial expressions while looking at one another troubly, but then they shifted their gaze back at Ren whose face twitched in pure pain while holding the wrist of the hand that got slapped with his other free hand.  
Ann and Ryuji couldn't help themselves not to feel worried about their leader and feel his pain; he was just naturally kind-hearted and only wished to help Emiko by reassuring her a little to snap from whatever was scaring her just a little while ago, but she had to reply violently like that.  
The two blonde-haired thieves exchanged sorrowful stares as if each of them desperately seeking an answer from the other and telling themselves to go and reassure Ren somehow... especially since a pained expression never suited his kind and gentle face, to begin with.

"Ren..." Morgana trailed sorrowfully as Ren's dark bangs shadowed his eyes.

"Hey, don't sweat it, man. You gotta excuse Mikki." Ryuji placed his hand on Ren's shoulder.

"That's right! Emiko is just acting like that because... you know. She wasn't like that at all back when I knew her in middle school." Ann added.

"........." Ren slightly lifted his head up.

"And how was she like back then? You've never told us until now." Morgana tilted his head curiously.

"I've met her during my first year in middle school but Ryuji knew her since elementary school. Back then she was really kind, funny, and cheerful. She used to smile a lot and had a mischievous side of hers thanks to Ryuji and would pull pranks with him." Ann explained.

"Yeah, I remember that. She'd help me pull some crazy stunts on the track team members. Ryuji laughed.

"She was also somehow childish and an airhead in a way or another, saying stuff that didn't make sense to us. Haha..." Ann laughed sadly as she looked down. Nostalgia hit her for those good old days.

"But she really changed after her dad died three years ago. She distanced herself from everyone, stopped talkin' to us, and became really depressed and a loner. I've never seen her smile since then, not even once." Ryuji frowned bitterly.

"Not even once...?" Ren repeated.

"I think... it's because of the trauma of her shooting her dad. I mean, it's not something you can just cope with." Morgana stated.

"Yeah, maybe you're right... but I know that there's more to this story that she's not saying because she'd never kill anyone like that! I only wish... if she could open her heart to us..." Ann hugged her arms as she stared at the ground.

"Me too... I miss seein' her smile again. I'd do anything just to see her happy again..." Ryuji followed by clenching his fists tightly.

"........."

At that moment, Ren's eyes lit with sadness and grief as he stared at his open hands before pursuing his lips into a straight line.  
It was then when he felt the suffering his friends were keeping for themselves due to Emiko's drastic change, and felt like how dearly she meant to them but more importantly, he felt like he understood the situation a bit more after hearing a different side of the story, though the number of his unanswered questions only increased.  
He couldn't deny that he wasn't curious about Emiko's old personality and hearing them describe the old she made him really want to see how she used to be and get her out from her current miserable state.

And thinking more carefully about the past, if Emiko was truly evil, then why she'd shed tears when Mayu hugged her and apologized to her for exposing her secret to Kamoshida after his confession at the gym?   
Why she'd cry when she tasted his coffee for the first time? Why she'd get somehow embarrassed when they encountered each other in the underground mall when Makoto was following Ren and asked her what she carried in her bag?  
Why she'd bother herself to join the Phantom Thieves and help those in need?

But more importantly, why her face twitched in pure pain when she slapped Ren's hand away earlier?

"We'll do it." Ren lifted his face up. His voice was serious and firm as his eyes looked like they had found a new resolve.

"Huh?" Ryuji scratched his head.

"What do you mean?" Ann adjusted her posture.

"We'll help Emiko and encourage her to open up to us to tell us her story. I can see how much she means to you two, and I hate seeing you sad like this. I promise you... that you'll see her smile again." Ren's lips curved upwards to a small smile of his own.

"Ren, you're...!" Morgana's eyes widen.

"Ren...!" Ann covered her mouth with her both hands, feeling herself on the edge of tears.

"Dammit, man... don't say things like that so casually." Ryuji voice cracked as he looked away, feeling himself about to cry as well.

"Thank you, Ren!" Ann embraced the raven-haired tightly sniffing lightly as she shed a few tears "Thank you..."

However, Ren smiled sheepishly as he felt his heart flutter with warmth and overwhelmed with joy.

Ann broke the hug while wiping her eyes before smiling sweetly at the kind leader as Ryuji approached them before wrapping his arm around Ren's neck and messing with his hair with his other fist.  
That earned a surprised yelp from Ren as Ann and Morgana began laughing from their hearts loudly that the voice of their laughter rang throughout the courtyard.

But on the other hand, Makoto was walking through the passageway back the practice building with her head lowered down.  
Ann's words that hit a nerve of hers along with Emiko's monstrous expression lingered in her brain and refused to leave her alone.  
While she was walking, she heard waves of laughter coming nearby, so she stopped her tracks to see Ryuji meddling with Ren's hair with his fist and they were laughing happily along with Ann standing next to them.  
Makoto frowned when she saw them this happy with one another and couldn't stop the sensation of her chest stinging her as she felt jealous of seeing such a joyous group of friends spending the happiest times of their lives together.

It looked so beautiful indeed...

"If only I could...." Makoto looked down sadly.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Emiko hid in an isolated spot behind a corner after making sure that no one was there to see her.  
She was covering her mouth with both her hands as her body trembled ever so slightly trying her best not to make her voice audible, but she still couldn't stop the tears from rolling down on her cheeks along with the muffled noise of her quiet sobs.  
Her knees could no longer support her weight and were losing the strength they had, which caused her to slowly slid herself down with her back against the wall until she fell down on the grass.  
Her face was colored with agony, regret, dejection, and misery as she felt even more hopeless and helpless than ever.

_"Please... just please... stay away from me..."_

_"I don't want to hurt... any of you..."_

_"Dammit...!"_

*******

_**\------After School: Shibuya------** _

The afternoon classes wrapped up faster than ever, especially since Ren managed to lift the spirits of both Ryuji and Ann which made them unable to feel the time flying by.  
When the school day was finally over, the three of them agreed to meet up somewhere other than the hideout which made Ren text Emiko and Yusuke asking them to be present at Shibuya's square.  
When they arrived at the area which was as crowded and lively as ever since it was technically the rush hour, the other two arrived almost simultaneously with the leader and the two blondies--Emiko looking more depressed and blank than ever much to Ren, Ann, and Ryuji's worry.  
But to get the meeting started, Yusuke pulled his phone out to look through various articles and pages online after yesterday's scandal with Akechi.

"Comments are coming in at an alarming rate. However, negative ones seem to be more prominent. **'A criminal group with unknown goals that does whatever it wants in the name of justice.'** Huh..." Yusuke read a post online.

"It's prolly 'cause of Akechi... TV's got some crazy sway." Ryuji commented.

"He's free to deny our actions, but being cursed by his influence is another thing entirely." Yusuke pointed out.

"Just when we were starting to get people to believe in us too..." Ann trailed.

"All we gotta do is take down another hot shot, yeah?" Ryuji asked.

"...Well, do you have any ideas who this next 'hot shot' could be?" Yusuke questioned.

"If we did, then we wouldn't be here now." Emiko taunted.

"I ain't got a thing yet... dammit, this is real irritatin'... by the way, what's up with that luggage?" Ryuji pointed at Yusuke's suitcase.

"Oh, I decided to leave the school dorms. They were not only filthy, but too noisy as well... no true art could come from such a place." Yusuke replied.

"What are you gonna do then? You can't go back to that shack, right?" Ryuji asked.

"I was planning on staying at Takamaki-San's-- I mean, Ann's house. I've even prepared a thank-you gift. I hope it's to your parents' liking." Yusuke smiled.

"WHAT?! There's no way that's gonna happen!" Ann snapped at him.

"Impossible..." Yusuke was shocked.

"You're the impossible one!" Ryuji shouted.

"But I spent everything I had on these delectable Japanese sweets..." Yusuke trailed.

"That's not the issue here! Seriously though... what are we gonna do about him?" Ann asked.

"What about Ryuji's place?" Ren asked while pointing at his best bud.

"It's way too small. Plus, my folks'd never agree to it." Ryuji replied.

"Then how about you, Emiko?" Ann asked the brown-haired.

Her piercing glare along with the dark and threatening aura around her was more than enough for Ann to get the message which caused her to clear her throat nervously.

"Well, seeing as Yusuke is an important member of our team... I'll lend a hand! Come stay at our place! It's dirty, but at least you'll have somewhere to sleep!" Morgana suggested.

"Why're you the one calling the shots?" Ryuji lowered his head comically.

"Don't you two live in a café? I've been wondering about that for a while. Yongen's not too far, is it?" Ann placed a finger on her chin.

"Nope! And the café is only a minute walk from the station." Morgana replied proudly.

"You went there before and played chess with Akechi, right Emiko?" Ann looked at the girl.

"That's right." Mikki nodded.

And now of all times, she just had to remember the moment when she cried in front of Ren out of blues after tasting his coffee; clearly not the best visit ever.

"How about we go there now? We can have a party to celebrate Madarame's change of heart!" Ann exclaimed as she clapped her hands.

"Ooh, good idea! We can make it a welcome party for Yusuke too!" Ryuji added cheerfully.

"All right then, it's decided!" Ann fist-bumped the air.

"Man, what should we bring with us?" Ryuji walked next to Ann.

"I have no idea."

"It can't be helped I guess..." Emiko sighed helplessly to herself before following the two.

"Um, guys?" Ren tried to reach his hand to them while sweatdropping.

"Sorry to cause you trouble." Yusuke walked to Ren.

"Eh?"

"By the way... I prefer sleeping on a futon." Yusuke smiled before catching up with the rest.

"It'll be up to you to convince the chief." Morgana told the noirest.

"I think it'll be tough." Ren said worriedly.

Yeah... _real_ hard.

*******

_**\------Leblanc------** _

The train ride went really smoothly and they've arrived at their destination before even knowing it, and of course, Ren was in the lead since he technically lived there.  
The neighborhood was small, yes, but it was lively in its own way and filled with backstreets everywhere they looked.  
Walking into the café in Yongen, the entire group was welcomed with the cozy and soothing atmosphere of that small coffee and curry shop.  
The bell than hung above the door jingled softly as Ren opened the door to guide them inside and their eyes darted around left and right at their surroundings while gasping in awe, except for Emiko since she's been there already, seeing how classic it looked, but had its own unique peaceful and calm ambiance and vibe.  
The smell of the freshly-brewed coffee filled the air and gave a refreshing smell as the teens inhaled it deeply to immerse themselves in it and mesmerize every bit of it.

"Ah, what a nice smell..." Ann took a deep breath.

"This place looks so outdated... I can't say I hate it though." Ryuji commented.

"People refer to that as **'retro.'** " Yusuke pointed out.

"Hm? Who're they?" Sojiro asked surprisingly after turning his back to the group.

"Hello!" Ann greeted cheerfully.

"A girl too...?" Sojiro widened his eyes.

"Ren has really helped us a lot lately." Ann smiled warmly.

"Heh, I bet you're the ones doing all the helping." Sojiro scoffed.

"No, really, he's been great."

"Huh... sit down. This round'll be on the house. You're helping though, Ren." Sojiro eyed the boy seriously.

"Understood..."

In the end, Ren took an apron after leaving his bag with Morgana in it and stood behind the counter before starting to brew the coffee.  
His friends sat down at the counter watching him in awe and looking at his swift and steady movements thoroughly, scanning and analyzing everything he was doing.   
Very soon, the smell of coffee came out as he began pouring hot water before placing cups of freshly-made coffee in front of each one of them which caused their smiles to grow.

"Please help yourselves. I hope you'll enjoy it." Ren offered.

"Wow... it's delicious." Ann complimented after taking a sip.

"Indeed, there's great depth to its acidity." Yusuke added while smiling.

"........." Emiko stayed silent while sipping from her cup slowly.

"Oh yeah, I remember now! I think I've seen Leblanc mentioned in a magazine before..." Ann recalled.

"That was a long time ago." Sojiro chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

"For real? Gimme a taste." Ryuji snatched Ann's coffee and took a sip of it.

Bad idea.

"Blech!" Ryuji almost spat the coffee before gulping down a glass of soda quickly to erase the unbearable taste.

He obviously couldn't stand the bitterness of the coffee that tangled with his tongue.

"It's so bitter! This has gotta be cruel and unusual punishment!" Ryuji chocked on air.

"You OK, Ryuji?" Ren asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, man."

"Eh, I didn't drink coffee when I was a kid either. These're your friends, yeah? Go on and take them up to your room. No need to stay down here." Sojiro told the raven-haired boy.

"Ooh, I wanna see!" Ann cooed.

"It's only an attic." Sojiro blunted.

"Man, that bitter taste just won't leave my mouth..." Ryuji said while standing up.

"Thank you so much for the drink." Yusuke smiled in gratitude as he stood up.

"Up these stairs? ...Oh, and thanks for the soda!" Ryuji followed.

".........." Emiko was still sitting in her place, staring at the empty cup blankly that rested in her hands.

"Hey, are you all right, young lady?" Sojiro looked at the brown-haired who seemed out of the world.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine! Thanks for the coffee!" She snapped back to reality before standing up and sprinting up the stairs.

"Ah...!" Ren tried calling her, but she already went up.

"So, you're uhh..." Sojiro trailed, halting Ann's movements.

"Ann. Ann Takamaki." The platinum blonde-haired replied.

"Ann-Chan, huh... that's a nice name. You got a boyfriend?"

"Nope. Never have, either."

_"But I do have a crush on someone..."_

"Hey, you gotta get up here! This place's freakin' insane!" Ryuji shouted from upstairs.

"Go on." Sojiro said.

"Oh right. Thank you for the coffee!"

Ann went to grab her bag from the booth and noticed that none of her friends bothered themselves to take Morgana with them who stayed in Ren's bag next to hers.

"Sheesh... they had to leave Morgana in here?" She sighed to herself before grabbing the bag and walking up the stairs.

"Huh, sweet girl." Sojiro mumbled "Friends, huh?"

*******

_**\------Leblanc's Attic------** _

The scene of the room was nothing of what the teenagers had expected... it was somehow spacious but it looked rather old but clean.  
His bed was neatly tied up and had a table near the stairs with a few books and study materials on it which were far than messy, and near the corner rested a healthy green plant next to the empty shelves that contained a few photos of Ren back from his hometown.  
It was peaceful and quiet which suited Ren's personality very well, and its tidiness and cleanliness told a lot about him.

"Whaddya think of this room? I dunno where to begin..." Ryuji looked around him.

"It seems quite ordinary to me." Yusuke commented.

"For real...?" Ryuji lowered his head.

"Oh..." Ann widened her eyes as soon as she walked into the room.

"See? Ain't this crazy?" Ryuji asked.

"It's cleaner than I thought it would be." Ann replied.

"What?!" Ryuji gasped in shock.

"Says whose room was a total dumpster." Emiko scoffed.

"You don't need to bring that out!" Ryuji shouted embarrassingly.

"Y'know, I wouldn't be surprised for your room to be messy and dirty, Ryuji." Ann chuckled.

"H-Hey...!" He didn't know how to argue back.

"Please, sit wherever you like. Make yourselves at home." Ren said as he climbed up the stairs.

Nodding in acknowledgment, the girls sat next to each other on the small sofa, while the two boys Ryuji and Yusuke remained standing up as the frizzy-haired sitting on his own bed, but his cat Morgana sat on the floor in the middle between them.   
Ren couldn't help himself to smile since that was the first time his room was filled with people other than him and didn't feel lonely like always, and that caused a warm sensation to fill his chest... but that smile got completely wiped off and replaced with a frown once he saw Yusuke's serious expression while looking at his phone's screen.

"We're all over the news. Even those who previously believed in us have been influenced by the comments made on TV." Yusuke said while scrolling through his phone.

"This is all that effin' Akechi's fault!" Ryuji yelled loudly.

"Keep it down. We don't want anyone hearing us." Yusuke furrowed his eyebrows.

"At this rate, we're just going to worry everyone instead of giving them courage..." Ann trailed sadly while burying her face in her palm.

"We need to find a way to make our rightfulness known to society. It's time we think about our next move. You were planning on discussing that today, right?" Morgana asked.

"Yes. First, we need to search for a candidate." Yusuke nodded.

"It's not like we're just gonna stumble upon some important target though. You guys don't know anyone, do you?" Ryuji asked.

"I don't..." Ann trailed.

"Me neither..." Yusuke shook his head.

"Don't look at me..." Emiko looked away.

"Whaddya think, leader?" Ryuji sighed, sitting on the floor.

"Hm... what about Mishima's site?" Ren questioned.

"I've been lookin'. There hasn't been anything good out there lately though."

"Plus, It's not like anyone ever talks about the big targets on there." Ann added.

"You do have a point." Emiko admitted.

"Dammit... we're never gonna prove Akechi wrong at this rate...!" Ryuji growled.

When Ryuji was intending to complete his sentence, he got interrupted with the voice of Yusuke's stomach growling loudly.

"What the..." Morgana widened his eyes.

"Sorry... I haven't eaten anything since yesterday..." Yusuke looked down.

"And you spent all your money on that box of sweets?!" Ann gasped loudly.

"Dude, how much did you have...?" Ryuji asked lowly.

"Anyway, we'll have to sit tight until we can find another target." Ann stated before smiling widely "So... how about that welcome party?"

"Someone's excited." Ryuji commented.

"I think I found something. Isn't that a portable stove?" Ann pointed giggled while pointing her finger "Can we make a hot pot on it?"

"Hot pot?" Emiko repeated.

"That sounds great! I've heard that eating hot pot together brings people closer!" Morgana chirped happily.

"Anything with meat's fine by me!" Ryuji grinned.

"I only ask that we finish it off with porridge. Extra parsley, of course." Yusuke smiled.

"So, what do you say?" Ann asked the noirest.

"Let's finish it with udon also." Ren chuckled.

"Whattt?!" Yusuke gasped.

"Whattt, my ass! You don't have any cash! C'mon, let's go buy ingredients." Ryuji pulled his signature goofy grin.

"I'll need gingko nuts, wonton wrappers, and..." Yusuke counted.

"We'll take care of the shopping. Could you borrow a pot from downstairs while we're out? We can split the cost later." Ann beamed.

"Leave it to me." Ren nodded reassuringly while standing up as Ryuji and Yusuke left.

"Come on, Emiko! It'll be fun!" Ann exclaimed while dragging the brown-haired down the stairs with her.

"Hey, let me go this instant!" She demanded.

"Looks like this welcome party is going to turn out quite lively. We should go grab that pot and

set up the portable stove too." Morgana smiled excitedly.

"Yeah." Ren smiled happily to himself.

Yeah, that was going to be a very fun day... and having all of his friends around in his room was truly nice for a change that it felt like...

...like home.

*******

_**\------Meanwhile: Niijima's Residence------** _

While the group of the Phantom Thieves was going to have their second party of a successful mission, it was the same daily and dull routine for the student council president Makoto Niijima.   
She spent her time in her room studying for several hours before looking at the clock, realizing that it was already dinner time and her sister would come home that night, so she got up from her desk and prepared dinner as usual. She knew how to cook well, so that wasn't anything new for her anymore, and as she was placing the dishes on the table, her older sister Sae returned home after such a tiring day at work and exchanged their greetings.  
The two Niijima sisters sat down on the dining table to eat the food that Makoto prepared in silence which was fairly simple and consisted of soup, rice, and vegetables, trying to make it as balanced as possible.  
The younger sister placed a bite into her mouth chewing it quietly, and all that time she couldn't keep her eyes away from her sister, noticing the exhaustion in her eyes due to the lack of sleep because of her job as a public prosecutor.  
Days like this when Sae would return home and have dinner became rarer than before much to Makoto's loneliness... her sister was a workaholic and she felt really alone at home, so she'd be very happy whenever Sae could make it back occasionally.  
While sighing deeply to herself, Makoto pulled the remote next to her and turned on the TV that displayed an interview with a very familiar face.

"And now, onto the **'Hottest Meet-and-Greet'** segment of our show... after his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high detective, Goro Akechi!" The cute announcer exclaimed on TV.

"This tasted a bit bland... but I'm revealed. A lot's happened, but it seems your grades haven't dropped." Sae pulled a smile at her sister.

"School's been going fine. I'm more worried about you, Sis. Are you tired? You're probably lacking sodium." Makoto saw the exhaustion on her sister's face.

"Do I seem so?"

"But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real... I believe they should be tried in a court of law." Akechi said on TV.

"That's quite the statement. Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways." A cheerful host stated on TV.

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart." Akechi spoke firmly.

"...Is it a crime to manipulate someone's heart?" Makoto asked matter-of-factly.

"...Depending on the means, yes. He's absolutely right."

"Even if it makes someone admit their evil deeds and helps make them pay for their crimes?"

"Why the sudden interest?" Sae asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing..." Makoto looked down.

"Do you believe that these 'allies of justice' exist?"

"...Of course not."

"You don't need to think about such unnecessary things... you understand what I'm trying to say, right?"

"Study hard and go to a prestigious college..."

"Moving up in the world is difficult as a woman. Yet, you can't do much if you don't have the authority. I'll use every method necessary to make it happen. All you need to do is to remain focused on what must be done now for your future's sake."

"...Sorry."

_**Pi pi pi** _

"Now?" Sae let out a distressed sigh as she stood up.

Now of all times, her phone had to ring? And when Makoto was finally with her sister's company?

"Yes? ...Mh-mh, It's fine." Sae left the living room "...Oh, that case."

"What must be done..." Makoto mumbled to herself "Justice..."

 _ **"If those Phantom Thieves are out there helpin' people... I'd root for 'em, no question asked."**_ Makoto remembered Ryuji's words.

"What do I want to do...?" Makoto asked herself quietly.

_**"My dream... is to become a police officer like my dad!"** _

_**"That way we can both work together, Akechi-Kun!"** _

_**"You, a police officer...? Haha, are you perhaps foolish? Don't make me laugh. You would be better off removing such a shallow idea from your mind. I honestly thought you were smarter than this..."** _

"Why... why did you do this to me...?" Makoto had a sorrowful look in her eyes.

_"Why?!"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayayayayay, I've finally updated after such a long time!!! Yahoo!!!
> 
> And I have some good news too! :3
> 
> 1# I've started college as a first-year computer engineering student! Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!
> 
> It's amazing how time flies by, right? I mean... when I guys first met you before my old account got hacked in 2017, I was still a junior high school student... and now I'm already in college...
> 
> Wow... just... wow...
> 
> #2 I've OFFICIALLY joined the Boku no Hero Academia fandom since I've finished the first season two days ago! :)
> 
> I've known about its existence for over a year, but never got the chance to watch it cuz of senior high... but now I did! =D
> 
> Can't wait to watch season 2,3, and 4!
> 
> #3 The big reveal of Emiko's backstory is IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! So, wait patientally for it~
> 
> As for this chappie... Emiko's true self is starting to show beneath her tough, quiet, and rude façade. This is getting more interesting, eh?~
> 
> Anyways, what did you think of this chapter? Liked it?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Fri/Oct 11/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


	25. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stories that made who they are, finally came out to see the daylight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All righty right, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! Now, and finally as promised, is the big reveal of Emiko's tragic backstory? Sooo... are you ready to get your minds blown away?  
> Anyways, without any further ado, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!!! 'CUZ HERE WE GO!!!

 

**_\------Leblanc's Attic------_ **

The preparations were going smoothly for Yusuke's welcoming party which was surely going to add liveliness and a new ambiance to the dull and quiet old attic of Leblanc.  
Ren could barely hide his excitement while he was preparing the portable stove and set the table in the room while his friends were out to buy the ingredients, and yet he was followed by Morgana's eyes as he observed every movement of the teenage boy.  
The cat would be lying if he said that he wasn't looking forward to the gathering of the young thieves for sure it'd be such a lively and busy day, but what made him more happy was seeing the sparkle of joy in Ren's eyes as he was moving around to set everything up before the others would return from shopping.  
The small smile printed on Ren's lips told everything that has been running inside his mind and obviously expressed what he was feeling at that moment like an open book--his heart was leaping in joy and just felt warmth fluttering his entire chest.

Given that the area was filled with shops, it wasn't long before the raven-haired heard the bell jingling softly along with the lively sounds of his friends as they stepped into the shop after successfully buying all the needed ingredients for the hot pot, and it wasn't long before they called for Ren's name to come downstairs in which he replied quickly.  
They have already asked Sojiro if it was possible for them to use the kitchen in which he agreed without any hesitation.  
The girls were instructing the boys to chop the vegetables and other ingredients which proved quite challenging for them, especially Yusuke who almost cut his hand several times while Ren was fairly good at it since he's been learning how to make curry, while Ryuji and unexpectedly, knew how to handle the knife quite professionally and was chopping faster than anyone else much to Ann's ultimate shock and surprise. She's expected he'd be the clumsy one with it rather than Yusuke, but he managed to prove her very wrong... and in the end, the whole chopping process ended without any casualties.  
Then, they returned upstairs to place the chopped items in the portable stove which was already placed on the table in the middle of the room.  
After placing them in water and waiting for it to boil, Ryuji kept walking around and asking impatiently almost every five minutes whether the food is ready yet or not.  
Minutes were passing by very heavily as the blonde-haired boy kept jolting around left and right in anxiety for what seemed like an eternity before salvation finally smiled upon him when Ann announced that it should be done by now.

"Whoa!" Everyone gasped in awe, having their eyes fixed on the cooked hot pot after Ren lifted the cover.

The smell of food filled the entire room making the group's mouths drool from the sweet aroma alone itself that lingered inside their noses and filled every corner of the room.  
Each one of them looked at the other while smiling widely, except for Emiko who kept a blank expression on her face through all this, before grinning happily and giving each other satisfied looks, given how the smell was more than just delicious.  
They deeply inhaled the tempting smell of beef, carrots, tofu, mushrooms, leeks, and cabbages creeping through their noses, dazzling themselves in it before seeing how they were dancing inside the boiling water ever so delicately.

"C'mon, let's eat already!" Ryuji picked up his chopsticks.

"Thank you for the food!" Everyone said in unison.

That was the call that started Yusuke's welcoming party officially and started the fun time they were going to have, thus the young teenagers ate their hot pot meal in a lovely and friendly gathering filled with joy, chatter, and laughter by the jokes cracked by some of them, acting as the group of good friends they were.  
Well... almost all of them since a certain brown-haired girl was having her meal in silence while being showered with the loudness of the others around her--she didn't really like the brashness of her fellow thief mates since she was a girl with little words, after all.  
But, she was nagged to partake in the conversations, even for a little bit by both Ryuji and Ann mostly.  
Their happiness was indescribable, especially for Ren since a gathering like that reminded him much of his home and parents when they'd sit together and have dinner the same way he was doing with his friends.

It all felt a little... nostalgic and bittersweet somehow.

"Hurry, give me some!" Morgana told the noirest, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Sure thing." Ren picked up the bowl in front of Morgana to pour some food in it.

"Hey, I was going to have that meat!" Ann whined at Ryuji who picked a piece of beef in his chopsticks.

"Early birds get the worm." Ryuji grinned goofily before shoving the beef in his mouth.

"Jerk..." Ann pouted childishly.

Time passed as quickly as ever with the teenagers enjoying their time to the fullest in chatting about various topics, joking at each other, and having one delicious meal.  
Topics of conversations varied between almost everything from daily lives to school and phantom thievery along with jokes that cracked among the conversations from none other than Ryuji that were sometimes dirty or inappropriate which resulted in painful smacks across the heads from Ann.  
During the whole thing, Ren couldn't stop smiling and laughing at the silly jokes while immersing himself with the food, and it seemed like what Morgana said was actually true; he did feel closer to his friends and teammates while eating the hot pot together.  
The noirest couldn't possibly remember the last time he was this happy with anyone, so the warmth he felt in his chest was a nice feeling for a change.  
But like all good times must come to an end, the group stopped chatting and eating after feeling awfully full from all the food they ate almost non-stop. Their faces were worn out and tired as if they have just returned from a marathon.

"I can't eat another bite..." Ryuji held his stomach.

"It was a bad idea to eat all that food... ugh, why did I do that in the first place?" Emiko groaned in annoyance while adjusting herself in her chair.

While the teenagers were having a rough time absorbing the crazy amount of hot pot they have eaten, Ren was, in fact, still pouring whatever was left in the pot into his own bowl, ready to eat once again.  
The others looked at him with wide eyes while he was preparing the chopsticks to dig into the food, in which Ren responded with confused looks of his own as if he was questioning their shocked eyes.

"You're seriously still eating?" Ryuji asked the dark-haired.

"It's not good to waste." Ren replied bluntly.

"For real...?" Ryuji sweatdropped.

"Who would've thought that you, four-eyes mop head, would be able to eat this much despite being so skinny?" Emiko huffed as she closed her eyes.

"Four-eyes... mop head?" Ren repeated her words hesitantly.

Ouch...

"That was delicious, Lady Ann. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful bride some--" Morgana was about to say.

"Sorry, I'm gonna have to borrow the sofa." Ann yawned before laying down on the sofa.

When the ash blonde-haired laid down completely having her guard down, leaving her bottom area unprotected which caused both Ryuji and Morgana's breath to hitch since their manly instincts started kicking in real hard.  
The blonde-haired male thief felt his chest stiffen as his golden opportunity has finally come, and oh how tempting it was to explore a territory he's always dreamt to see, and looking at Morgana's facial expression... it was more than obvious that he felt the same way.  
With mischievous and devilish smiles on their faces, Ryuji leaned his face to the side along with Morgana who jumped on the table to get a glance at Ann's panties. So many fantasies were rushing through their brains as their breath quickened, but Ann noticed them immediately once she shot her eyes open; a dark and threatening aura surrounding her which caused both of them to re-adjust their positions quickly before taking a bitter taste of her wrath.

Plus, they've even forgotten that she wore red leggings.

"You two..."

With that dark and demonic call, Ryuji and Morgana felt a shiver run down their spines before gulping down their saliva and hesitantly turning their terrified faces at an angry Emiko with a thick and dangerous air surrounding her as she was cracking her knuckles as if she was ready to murder someone on the spot.  
And it was that moment when they knew... they've fucked up.

Real hard.

The next thing they knew, they were seated in their places with head bumps growing on their heads respectively while Emiko sat back on her chair, snarling at their unbecoming lewd behavior after she gave them a proper piece of her mind.  
Ren, on the other hand, turned to a complete white chibi figure while having a blank expression on his face, thinking for the hundredth time how glad he was because he wasn't in their shoes.  
Judging from the way they were hissing while holding their heads, it was clear how painful it was.

While still hissing from the pain from his head, Morgana's blue orbs fell on a certain dark blue-haired young artist whose face was lowered down along with a visible frown on his lips; the complete opposite from what he was just a little while ago... and that could only mean that something serious must've been swirling inside his head.  
That piqued Morgana's suspicions, especially because Yusuke was having so much fun with the others, so what changed now?

"What's wrong, Yusuke?"

"...We haven't finished our meal. What about the porridge or even udon...?"

"Just leave it for next time, man..." Ryuji lowered his head while rubbing his stomach.

"Z z z z..." Ann began snoring softly as her chest rose up and down.

"She's asleep already...?!" Morgana gasped from shock, widening his eyes.

"It'd be weird if she wasn't tired. We should let her sleep." Ryuji had his eyes fixed on Ann's figure.

"I agree." Ren added while crossing his legs.

"I hatfa say that she looks... kinda cute when she's asleep." Ryuji smiled while looking at Ann's peaceful sleeping figure.

"By the way, Ryuji... how do you know Ann?" Yusuke asked.

"Huh? Oh, we all went to middle school together along with Mikki." Ryuji replied.

"You and Emiko... knew each other?" Yusuke furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, ever since elementary school."

"I see... I never knew that you were childhood friends."

"How could you possibly know? None of us brought this up, to begin with." Emiko shifted her back on the chair.

"What was Lady Ann like back then?" Morgana asked curiously in an attempt to change the subject.

"Not so different from now. Once we got to high school, we ended up in different classes and stopped talkin'... I don't think she had many friends. I mean she grew up overseas, plus there's her looks. The popular kids hate her; the quiet ones stay away." Ryuji explained.

"I see..." Yusuke trailed "So, what about you three?"

"Us...?" Ryuji repeated.

"This is a great opportunity to get to know each other better. You know every detail of my past at this point. It's only fair you tell me every detail of yours." Yusuke stated for the matter-of-factly.

"So you got nothin' to lose, huh? All right, I'll tell you. It's just a normal story about a rotten kid though. My dad left when I was young... ever since then it's just been me and my mom. I was actually tryin' to get a track scholarship so I could make things easier for her. In the end, I just screwed it all up. Turns out I'm a pretty bad son, huh?" Ryuji chuckled sadly "Back when I was a first-year, my mom got called out to school for me raisin' my hand at Kamoshida. All the teachers kept houndin' her for what I did, but she just stayed quiet through it all... I'll never forget the look she had on her face though... on the way home, she... she apologized to me. For bein' a single mom and all..."

"........." The brown-haired girl stayed quiet while lowering her face down, light shining on the lenses of her glasses, thus blocking the view of her eyes.

"Ryuji..." Ren trailed with sympathy in his sad voice.

"So that's what happened... they say at school that everyone is equal, but in reality that's a gross oversimplification..." Yusuke lowered his head "...I understand how you feel."

"Well when it comes to gettin' labeled, nobody's got it worse than Ren." Ryuji pointed at his friend.

"Is this about his past?" Yusuke looked at the raven-haired.

".......?" Emiko lifted her face up.

"Now that I think about it, we never have heard the details." Morgana pointed out.

"It's a long story..." Ren stared down at his lap, clutching his fingers through the fabrics of his pants.

"We'll be listenin', y'know." Ryuji reminded.

"Honestly, I never intended on sharing my story with anyone, but now... I think I really want to."

"Ren..." Morgana's voice was tinted with sadness.

"........." Three pairs of eyes stared at him intensely that belonged to the other three teenagers, which surprisingly included Emiko as well, as if they prepared themselves to hear every detail.

"That night..." Ren took a deep breath and began recalling the event of that cursed night.

The very same night that brought him to this level; the night that started everything.

*******

**_Flashback_ **

**_"Damn brat... I'll sue!" The drunk man shouted as crimson blood was dripping from his forehead down to the pavement._ **

**_"If you keep this up... then I'll report about the money! Is that fine with you?!" The struggling woman threatened._ **

**_"All I have to say that you did it on your own, and it's over."_ **

**_"But... I just did as I was told..."_ **

**_"Who do you think I am?" The drunk man spoke firmly._ **

**_"No..." The struggling woman trembled as she took a step backward, her limbs were shaking badly._ **

**_"Hey. Make this statement to the cops. 'This kid suddenly attacked me.' Got it?"_ **

**_"Wait... you can't just do that! I'm not the criminal here!" Ren said in shock._ **

**_"If you even try to say anything else, you know what'll happen to you, right?" The drunk man threatened the woman._ **

**_"Huh? But--"_ **

**_"But you fell on your own!" Ren argued._ **

**_"Shut up. You're done for. You're gonna learn what happens when you cross me..." The drunk man hissed like a viper._ **

**_Ren's fists clenched tightly while gritting his teeth in pure frustration._ **  
**_The man had just manipulated the woman and convinced her to give a false testimony that Ren attacked the man while he was obviously drunk and forcing himself on her._ **  
**_No, no. That had to be a joke, right? He can't be serious, can he?_ **  
**_With those thoughts squirming inside his mind, the voice of the sirens was drawing nearer and nearer with every second passing, making Ren's chest feel stiff when the red and blue lights illuminated the area brightly along with the scene of two police officers approaching them slowly._ **

**_"Excuse me, folks. We received a complaint about an argument here. Is something the matter?" A burly policeman approached the three people._ **

**_The drunk man's sharp gaze met the burly police officer who almost immediately flinched in his spot, knowing exactly who stood before him was._ **

**_"Oh! It's you, sir."_ **

**_"So, what happened? Explain it to the good officer." The drunk man told the woman._ **

**_"........" The struggling woman bit her thumb._ **

**_Her eyes met Ren's who shook his head in a desperate attempt to stop her from doing whatever mistake she was about to do._ **  
**_Although the drunk man intimidated her, Ren did nothing wrong to take the entire blame on his shoulders... he only tried to save her while the man fell on his own, and she knew that very well._ **  
**_He was kind-hearted to rush to her aid, and she could tell that perfectly but in the society they lived in, the good people are always the ones to suffer the outcomes of the powerful ones._ **  
**_And now this poor teenager's future was going to be ruined entirely and because of this thought, the woman felt her heartstrings pull tightly and her chest growing sore._ **

**_If only the circumstances were different..._ **

**_"That young man suddenly attacked him... he shoved this gentleman to the ground. And this man... got injured..."_ **

**_"Wait... you can't be serious! I was trying to save you! Hey!" Ren called the woman._ **

**_"........" The struggling woman looked away, her face twitching in pure guilt and shame._ **

**_"...It's as she says. Also... make sure you deal with this so my name isn't mentioned at all. You understand what that means, correct?" The drunk man reminded the officer._ **

**_"Y-Yes, sir! Hey, cuff him!" The burly policeman said to his partner._ **

**_"U-Understood." A thin policeman replied._ **

**_"Hold on, that's not right! I can explain it all! I'm innocent...!" Ren called as his wrists got handcuffed._ **

**_"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in court." The thin policeman reminded as he and the burly policeman dragged the teenager away._ **

**_"No, you can't do that! I didn't do anything wrong!" Ren looked at the woman "Ma'am, you have to tell them that!"_ **

**_"I'm sorry..." She mumbled weakly and sorrowfully._ **

**_Ren's grey eyes were shot wide open as he saw the pain the woman carried on her face as she never intended to comply with that horrible man._ **  
**_Everything seemed to move in a slow-motion as the two police officers were dragging the teenager away from the scene and toward the car--he swore that he caught a glimpse of the drunk man smirking victoriously at the scene as his face was growing far in the distance._ **  
**_At that moment Ren felt betrayed... yes, he was betrayed by that woman who only tried to help her since she looked in trouble and needed a hand to pull her out from her misery._ **  
**_Thus, his limbs became numb as he quit resisting the uninvestable and let the two officers drag him into the car to head towards an unknown new fate... a new fate filled with darkness and regret._ **

**_Had he only minded his own business, never stepped in and continued on his way home... this might've never happened in the first place._ **  
**_That man must've had a huge influence to be able to manipulate both the only witness and the police... and he knew that powerful people enjoy a paradise, while poor citizens always have to suffer from their injustice._ **

**_It was then when Ren learned the ugly bitter truth of society at the age of 15._ **

**_End Of Flashback_ **

*******

The room grew in utter and killing silence after hearing the details of Ren's story.  
Eyes grew wide open and jaws were left hanging in the air, even Emiko herself who couldn't maintain her shock and surprise, not after hearing all this.  
All this time, the rumors that were spread across the school about the delinquent with an assault record was, in fact, only a teenager who wished to rescue a woman and unfortunately for his bad luck, got framed for something he didn't even do in the first place.  
Her chest hurt her for one reason or another and felt that it was starting to grow sore, a feeling that started to build up inside her.  
A lump also grew in her throat, preventing her from properly breathing or speaking along with it feeling dry all of a sudden.

What was it exactly? Sadness? Sympathy? Anger?

Or perhaps... regret? Regret and remorse for everything she has done and said to him to this point judging from the rumors and without actually listening to his story?

On the other hand, Ren's face was lowered down with his hands held against each other and his jaw clenched tightly; recalling those memories must've been very frustrating to him.  
A quiet and bitter chuckle escaped his quivering lips which caught the full attention of Morgana whose facial expression twitched in pure pain.  
This was the first time he's ever heard Ren's story and always longed for him to open up more to his teammates, especially since he was the quiet and reserved type of man.  
But this...? Was nothing from what he'd expected. He was keeping all this suffering locked inside him all this time to himself until now, and couldn't even bring himself to imagine what it felt like.

No one ever deserved to go through something like that. Especially not the kind and sweet Ren.

"Just listenin' to it pisses me off... goddamit...!" Ryuji gritted his teeth angrily, punching the table with his fist "You got an assault on your record just for that?"

"The woman sounds quite horrible as well. She's stayed quiet this whole time..." Yusuke furrowed his eyebrows.

"That man is just the kind of person whose heart we should steal! Who is he, and where we can find him?!" Morgana asked Ren eagerly.

"I don't know... I can't remember..." Ren still had his gaze fixed on his lap.

"You can't remember, huh...? Well, it was at night, and I'm sure you were in shock after getting arrested. I understand all too the pain of not being able to remember important details of your life." Morgana trailed sadly.

"The victim's personal information is always kept secret. Identifying that man will prove difficult... besides, the court's already made their ruling, didn't they? Even if we manage to get revenge, Ren's past record won't go away." Yusuke pointed out.

"Won't go away, huh...?" Emiko repeated those words while looking at Ren's still figure.

With that, the noirest's lips let out a bitter chuckle.

"I can't stand it..." Ryuji gritted his teeth while hissing in anger "This world is so messed up! The weak're left to fight for themselves, while rotten adults get away with whatever they want!"

"And those in power don't do anything to help the situation." Morgana added.

"Can't we fix this though? Nobody would even know... we just need to show the world what true justice is. We'll make them come to their senses." Yusuke spoke seriously.

"True... justice..." Emiko mumbled to herself while staring at her open palms which laid on her skirt.

"You're right, Yusuke! That's gotta be what our powers're for!" Ryuji stood up.

"Sounds good to me. The flashier our missions are, the cooler we end up looking!" Morgana couldn't agree more.

"You've all taught me so much." Yusuke chuckled.

"...What're you guys getting all excited about?" Ann suddenly got up and sat properly on the couch.

"Oh, sorry... did we wake you up?" Ryuji sat down.

"Nah, not really. I've been up for a while now. Still, this weird feeling came over me while I was listening to you guys... it almost feels like I've known you all forever.... do you think it's because our backgrounds are so similar?"

"Well... it sure ain't 'cause of anything good." Ryuji grinned goofily while rubbing his nose.

"Similar, huh... I'm the only one who doesn't fit in..." Morgana lowered his head sadly.

"Hm?" Ren hummed in question as they all turned their eyes at the black cat.

"I don't have any past to look back on... no memories..."

"Whaddya mean? We could search the whole world and we wouldn't find a bigger misfit than you. And the reason we're goin' to Mementos is to get your memories back, right?" Ryuji asked cheerfully.

"I'm sure your past will be just as troubled as ours." Yusuke smiled.

"No doubt." Ryuji commented.

"Who knows?" Ren chuckled.

"We might as well know in the future." Mikki added.

"Hmph, we'll see about that!" Morgana scoffed proudly.

"I actually feel like I've known Morgana for a really long time too. It's so strange... I can't really put it into words." Ann lifted her eyes up while placing a finger on her chin.

"Look, I'm helping you guys out for my own sake. Don't get me wrong! If you don't get stronger, investigating Mementos won't be anything but a pipe dream!" Morgana's behavior changed drastically back to his bossy persona.

"That sure was quick turnaround. One second you're depressed, the next you're actin' all tough..." Ryuji mumbled quietly enough for him only to hear.

"All joking aside... let's take this seriously. We should go as far with it as we can... I want to punish those corrupted adults and give courage to people in trouble.... only we can do that!" Ann spoke firmly.

"Ha! You can say that again!" Ryuji exclaimed in agreement.

"Being a member of the Phantom Thieves will surely help me grow, both as an artist and as a person." Yusuke stated with a soft smile.

"Of course. You're under my tutelage, after all. There's nothing we can't accomplish!" Morgana declared.

"Well... I hope we can keep this up. We should be all right with you as our leader." Ann gave the leader an encouraging smile.

"Leave it to me." The raven-haired returned the gesture by smiling happily to his comrades. A wave of new-born confidence overwhelming him.

"By the way, what time it is--" An interruption came to Ann.

"Hold on, we've never heard Emiko's story yet." Came out Yusuke's voice.

"........?" She shot them a questionable look.

"Yeah, that's right! You've never told us the full story yet!" Ann bumped her fist into her other open palm.

"And why would I do such a thing?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Cuz we all told our stories, y'know. So it's your turn." Ryuji spoke.

"That's still not enough reason for me. I'm free whether I want to share my story with you or not." She closed her eyes.

"Gosh, this girl is just impossible..." Morgana told himself helplessly.

"You didn't kill your father because you wanted it, did you?" Ren's words echoed in the room.

".........!" Her eyes were shot wide open before she looked at him, her lips quivering ever so slightly.

Bingo.

"There has to be something else behind that surface, right? You had a reason, I'm sure of it."

"You don't know anything about me, Ren." She shot him a threatening glare.

"No, but I know that if you really killed your father intentionally, you'd be in jail by now, am I right?"

"........!" Her eyes were wide open again.

Gasps filled the entire room which belonged to the other phantom thieves.  
Ren had just brought up a very good point in this argument that none of them even realized at this point... or perhaps they just didn't ask her about it.

"Are you really fine with this? Is this really how you want to live for the rest of your life? Cooped inside your shell of anger and regret? Tell me, Emiko... don't you want to break free from it?"

"........."

He just said it... he had just exposed all of the hidden cards up his sleeve and figured out a lot of valuable details out of nothing.  
Yes, she has trapped herself in a cocoon of her own pain and misery for the past 3 years without letting anyone know anything.  
There were many times when she reached a breaking point and would plead for it to stop, but that seemed to make matters even worse by keeping everything locked up inside her heart.  
And that only caused her everything... her happiness, her friends, valuable years of her life, and many other things she chose to sacrifice.  
Ren's question kept repeating itself inside her head over and over again which she began to ask herself more frequently recently.

Did she really want to live like that for the rest of her life?

"Haha..." A bitter laugh came out from her.

"Mikki...?" Ryuji called worriedly.

"Now that all the cards have been exposed, I guess there's nothing for me to hide anymore, huh?"

"........." Guilt glimmered in Ren's eyes.

"Fine, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything..."

".........." Silence filled the room.

"My dad, his name was Isao Hayashi, and he was a former military soldier and a very loving and compassionate father and husband to me and my mother Natsumi Hayashi. The military was all his life and devoted himself to serve this country to the point that he taught me hand-to-hand combat and how to use a gun ever since I was a child."

"And that explains your amazing physical and weaponry skills...!" Morgana exclaimed in realization.

"Yes. We've lived happily together, just the three of us... until that day when I was eleven years old, he returned home after a battle and suffered a serious leg injury in combat which caused him to get discharged from the military early. And ever since that day... everything changed for me and my mom. He fell into depression and became alcoholic and abusive, beating up both me and my mom all because he kept clinging to his past glories and couldn't move on with his life..." She gritted her teeth while gripping into her skirt tightly as her life depended on it.

"........." Eyes twitched in pain as she carried on.

"We kept suffering from his abuse for two years hoping he'd return to the loving man he was and snap out of it, but he didn't. And three years ago when I was thirteen years old in my second year in middle school, I returned home from school to find my dad beating up the hell out of my mom, cursing, and yelling, saying that he'll kill her with a knife in his hand. She was bleeding from her head with a lot of bruises covering her body."

"........?!" Eyes widened open fully.

"I-I don't know what happened to me back then, but I rushed to their room, grabbed my dad's gun, and went back to the kitchen telling him to let go of my mom. I only wanted him to snap out of it and return to his old self, but he started running towards me with the knife in his hand wanting to kill me. I was so scared and screamed, telling him to stop, but I... I accidentally... pulled the trigger... and shot him... in his forehead... and killed him..." She lowered her face.

Loud and shocked gasps filled the entire room after hearing the story.  
None of them could believe their ears and thought they were playing tricks on them... what Emiko just told them... can't possibly be true, can it?  
All the dots started to connect with each other... the drastic change in her behavior, the depression she fell into, the way she distanced herself and cut ties with Ryuji and Ann during middle school, and everything...  
The rumors that swirled about Emiko in school accusing her of being a psycho killer... while it was just a whole pure case of unintentional self-defense and none of the other phantom thieves could even imagine how it was for Emiko to live with such a weight for three straight years.

"The police declared it as a case of self-defense since the marks of domestic abuse were visible on both me and my mom."

"I don't believe it..." Yusuke widened his eyes.

"And this is one of the scars my old man left on me as a memento."

Emiko's hands moved to the bangs on her forehead to push them away... only to reveal a big and old scar that covered almost all of her forehead in a straight line, which earned loud gasps from the others.

"Wh-What is this...?!" Ryuji yelled as he stood up.

Ren's eyes were wide open while Ann covered her mouth with her trembling hands.  
All this time, Emiko carried those scars with her without even letting anyone know?

"Even with him gone, I still see him whenever I look at the mirror, and I hate myself for it... why...? Why should I look exactly like him?! Why?! Why should I resemble him so much? If only... if only I..." Emiko's voice choked with her sobs as tears began rolling down her cheeks and onto her skirt, leaving dark stains on it.

The three teenagers looked at each other with eyes that held deep sympathy and pain for their comrade who just happened to learn the story behind.  
Everything she's gone through... couldn't be comparable to what any of them have experienced, not even Ren.  
She had to live with blood on her hand along with the shock and trauma that came after that. Even if she never intended to shoot that bullet, she still took life away.  
No matter how much she tried to wipe her tears away, more and more rolled down controllably, staining both her hands and uniform skirt, turning her silent cries to loud and ugly sobs.  
And although this wasn't the first time Ren saw Mikki cry so painfully like that...

...it still felt so heartbreaking.

"I understand now." Morgana spoke up.

".........?" He caught the attention of the four high schoolers.

"I think now I understand why Emiko's appearance change so drastically in the Metaverse. It's because you hate the way you look and want to be 'different' from how your father used to look like, right? Your Metaverse appearance is deeply connected to your personality and represent your rebel soul, after all. That's why your hair and eye color change; because of that cognition." Morgana elaborated.

"Now that you put it that way... it all makes sense." Ann admitted.

"But damn, Mikki... why you didn't say anything? You could've just told me!"

"Not that you'll understand..." Emiko sniffed.

"Bullshit, I've known you forever! I'm your childhood friend, y'know!"

".........."

"Emiko, I-I'm really sorry... I didn't know--" Ren was about to say.

"How could you know? You would never understand what it feels like to lose a parent. I bet they're always so supportive and loving to you."

"Actually... I do know what it's like." Ren admitted.

"Huh...?!"

"Ren, what do you mean?" Yusuke narrowed his eyes.

"You see..." Ren took a deep breath.

All the eyes were fixed on him.

"...My mom is dead."

Then it was like a bombshell was dropped on them.

"WH-WHAT?!" That loud scream came from Ryuji.

"D-Dead...?! No way...!" Ann covered her mouth while gasping.

"Ren, you...!" Morgana widened his eyes.

"H-How?" Yusuke asked hesitantly.

"She... was murdered."

"M-Murdered...?!" Emiko repeated that word breathlessly.

"Yes, and right in front of my eyes."

"Y-You're shittin' me, right...?" Came out Ryuji's shaky voice before he threw himself on the chair, feeling that his legs could no longer carry him anymore.

"It all happened six years ago when I was ten years old. We were returning home after buying a cake from the most famous bakery in town to surprise my dad for his birthday. It was late at night since we barely got a role in the bakery and mom decided to take a shortcut through a dark alley. I was scared of course, but mom kept telling me that everything will be fine since she's next to me."

Silence.

"Then we saw a group of thugs who threatened mom with a knife, telling her to give them her purse and jewelry but when she didn't listen, one of them caught me hostage and threatened her to kill me. I got so scared and started crying which made mom do as she was told, but then I bit the man's hand who caught me and started running away to my mom. He took a knife out, planning to stab me but mom hurriedly shielded me and got stabbed herself in the back."

".........!" They all gasped.

"I... I still remember the blood I saw... I was young, but I still remember it. The gang... ran away and mom was dying right in front of me. I couldn't do anything rather than helplessly watching her taking her last breaths. She... she died before the ambulance even arrived..."

"R-Ren..." Ann's eyes teared up.

".........." Yusuke breathed painfully.

"...This is bullshit! Why you hafta suffer so much?!" Ryuji hissed.

"Do you... feel responsible for it?" Emiko asked slowly.

"Sometimes I do... then I remember her words telling me to never blame myself and be a person who never gives up on others in trouble. So yeah, I do understand what it feels like to lose a parent." Ren chuckled sadly.

".........." The teenagers stared at each other sadly.

"I'm sure she's proud of you, Ren." Morgana spoke up.

"........?"

"Even though your mother may not be here, I'm confident that she's watching over you from wherever she is now and giving you courage when you need it. I'm more than positive that she's very proud of the kind and sweet man you became today and giving you her fullest love and support from up there, so don't worry about it."

"Morgana..." Ren's eyes teared up happily "Even if my dad became distant from me after her death, I'm lucky to have all of you here next to me. You're all like a family to me."

"Damn straight, and you ain't gettin' rid of us so easily, Renren!" Ryuji grinned while wrapping his arm around Ren's neck.

"Yeah, I'm counting on it." Ren smiled back.

The sounds of giggles coming from Ann, Yusuke, and Morgana could be heard as they became more than happy to know Ren's full story and how he decided to open up to them.  
Ren himself was laughing along in utmost happiness, feeling his heart leaping joyfully and a warm sensation bursting in his chest.  
He could never ask for anything more than that at all.

But while his friends were having their little celebration, Ren's eyes fell on Emiko which caused him to widen his eyes fully at her figure... tears were dripping from her eyes and her lips curved upwards.  
Not as a smirk or a scoff... no, it was a pure and happy genuine smile.

 _"It was the first time that Emiko has ever smiled in three years, and I've never expected her to smile again."_ He thought to himself.

_"At that moment, I kept thinking to myself that... her smile was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."_

"...Whoa, it's this late?" Ann gasped after looking at the time, breaking the small happy party.

"I guess now's a good time to call it for the night!" Ryuji stood up.

"Oh, that reminds me! The owner said that you're free to crash here, Yusuke." Ann remembered.

"That's... very kind of him." Yusuke smiled sheepishly.

"You convinced him, didn't you? You go, Miss Older-dude-charmer!" Ryuji laughed.

"What kind of nicknames is that?!" Ann raised her eyebrow.

"Hm, I won't be able to sleep unless I take a bath..." Yusuke mumbled.

"There's a bathhouse nearby. Why not giving it a shot?" Ren suggested.

"I won't be able to join you though." Morgana added.

"Ooh, that sounds great! I wanna come too! How 'bout you, Ann?" Ryuji stretched his arms.

"You guys go on ahead. I should get going." Ann stood up.

"And you Mikki?"

"You go and have fun. I need to get going too." She carried her bag before standing up.

"Well, good night, Morgana!" Waved before walking down the stairs.

"Dammit... I need to turn back into a human soon. I can't let her get taken by someone else...!" Morgana mumbled.

Before she walked down, Emiko paused her tracks before turning her face back to the boys, smiling at them while muttering a **'thank you'** before following Ann behind.  
Ryuji and Morgana blinked their eyes in confusion while looking at one another before the room burst with their loud cheering voices.  
The blonde-haired kept exclaiming and shouting happily how his childhood friend finally smiled and looked genuinely happy for the first time in three years... it was indeed something to celebrate for.  
Ren also couldn't help a warm smile from creeping its way to his lips with his heart fluttering in warmth, especially since it looked like that...

...Emiko had finally decided to show her real self which was long hidden under many layers of fake toughness and rudeness.

*******

**_\------The Bathhouse------_ **

Happy hums came out from the boys as they sank themselves deeper in the warm water, feeling that all the soreness was leaving their muscles.  
So many dramas happened earlier in Leblanc with everyone telling their stories, so being able to relax like this felt so heavenly.

"Ahh, huge bathtubs really are the best. Ann and Mikki're missin' out." Ryuji hummed, relaxing further.

"It's a bit hot though..." Yusuke commented.

"Old guys like it hot, for some reason... I'm sure he'll stop eventually." Ryuji shrugged her shoulders while looking at an old man turning on the hot water.

"I'm not complaining though..." Ren sighed deeply.

"You know, I've been wonderin' for a while now... but what do you think of Ann? As a 'girl,' I mean." Ryuji asked.

"She's... beautiful I think?" Ren had a questioning tone in his voice.

"Ooh, you straight up said it! Well, in her case, her looks totally make up for her overbearing personality." Ryuji grinned goofily.

"I'll be sure to share what you've said with Ann." Yusuke frowned.

"Please don't. Seriously..."

Ren chuckled.

"Hey, you feelin' all right, man? Y'know, after all that shit you've told us." Ryuji looked at the noirest.

"I'm fine, really. I feel a lot better after taking it off my chest."

"That aside, we need to hurry and find our next target." Yusuke stated.

"About that though... is targetin' famous people enough? Seein' people's reactions these days has been makin' me think twice about what we do..."

"...True. Pursuing only what's best in the short term may end up becoming fruitless for us. We need a strategy to appeal to the public..."

"Oh? Whaddya got in mind?"

"Do I look like someone who could come up with such a thing?"

"I was an idiot for askin'. I'm more like the charge commander... and Morgana's a specialist of that world... hmmm.. hrmm... still..." Ryuji trailed.

His body was seriously burning up and couldn't take it anymore.

"....Ughhhhhhhhh! It's frikin' hot!" Ryuji literally jumped out of the tub "How much do ya hafta add until you're satisfied, gramps?! ...I can't stand it anymore!" Ryuji yelled on top of his lungs "Anyways, let's meet up again early next week. I'll contact everyone!"

"Alright then..." Yusuke agreed awkwardly.

And Ren gave himself a good facepalm on his forehead.

*******

**_\------Leblanc's Attic------_ **

After taking a nice hot bath, the boys all went their separate ways to enjoy a good night's sleep now that their bodies were fully refreshed and relaxed.  
Ren and his new roommates made their way back to the old and cozy attic of Leblanc, longing to get some sleep after a day charged with drama and mixed emotions.  
The raven-haired had already prepared a futon for the young artist on the floor next to him before climbing up on his bed himself, throwing his back on it and yawning in exhaustion, feeling that his eyelids could no longer remain open.

"I'll be turning off the light now." Ren announced.

"Good night, Yusuke." Morgana yawned.

"Good night." Yusuke replied.

Yusuke laid down on the futon that Ren prepared for him while the dark-haired had his eyes fixed on the ceiling above him recalling the events of today.  
Although he was undeniably tired and wanted to sleep so badly, especially since the room felt very relaxing and quiet, but his mind kept recalling everything that's unfolded earlier that day.  
But one thing, in particular, he couldn't stop thinking about was the smile Emiko had printed on her lips after he told the story of his mother.  
It felt so kind, warm, and loving; the complete opposite from what she's shown of herself for now... but seeing her happy again after all this year was more than just satisfying.  
She's suffered a lot and hidden so much in the last three years, tasting the most terrible kinds of emotional torture and vortexes of regret, so she deserved to be happy... everyone does.  
Those feelings still fluttered within Ren, making him smile happily to himself as the warmth in his chest felt more beautiful than ever, thus his eyelids shut entirely and drifted him into a deep and peaceful slumber.

In the meantime, Yusuke was still unable to sleep despite him feeling sleepy as well because so many things were still on his mind.  
His eyes traveled up to see that Ren and Morgana were already fast asleep, much to his delight before shifting his head to his left side.  
His eyes caught the figure of the **'Sayuri'** which was safely wrapped within a purple cloth, recalling all rush of emotions he felt once he knew that it was his own mother who drew it.

He felt an unexplained warmth bursting inside his fragile heart...

*******

**_\------The Velvet Room-----_ **

The sound of metal clunking against each other lulled the young man from his sleep and caused him to flutter his eyes open as the numbness grew in his wrists and legs.  
He got up to see himself back in the realm that existed between dream and reality; mind and manner with the sight of Igor and the twin wardens welcoming him like every night he's been there so far.

"The prisoner Ren Amamiya has returned." Justine announced.

"You're in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!" Caroline reminded him aggressively.

".........." He grunted in annoyance.

"The bonds that you have reeled in are quite intriguing... in other words, they all have been unfairly labeled by society and are standing up against such fates. Have you noticed? Your heart seems to inspire theirs." Igor spoke up.

"My heart is inspiring theirs...?" Ren repeated.

"Outcasts of society... in other words, you're picaresque. Deepen your bonds with them. Those will become the strength behind your rehabilitation." Igor chuckled mysteriously "...I look forward to it."

"..........."

"May you continue devoting yourself to further rehabilitation. It's almost time..."

"........!" Ren felt lightheaded before he lost his consciousness and got pulled back to dreamland.

"I look forward to see what shall happen now that her awakening has just begun." Came out the echo of Igor's voice right before Ren lost his consciousness.

*******

**_\------Next Day: Leblanc------_ **

Mornings never felt so calm and peaceful to Yusuke like that one particular morning with the sounds of birds chirping outside, and the warm sunlight seeping through the windows, illuminating his delicate features with a dazzling golden radiance.  
The taste of the morning coffee also never felt so delicious and overwhelming like Leblanc's coffee that gave him a loving and nostalgic feeling running through his veins like any coffee never did.  
Sojiro observed the features of the young boy with a small and satisfying hidden smile on his face, seeing how much he was immersing himself with the intriguing flavor.  
Ren was still asleep at that point which gave them the opportunity to speak fairly freely about why he woke up and dragged the luggage with him downstairs.

"It's such a delight to enjoy coffee of this quality." Yusuke smiled delightfully.

"You could stay until you find a place, you know. I can't promise it'd be comfortable here though." Sojiro smirked.

"Thank you, but I'll return to the dorms. I realized something after talking with everyone last night. Perhaps it's due to my upbringing, but I don't know anything about the world, let alone other people. If I'm to depict people in my art, I need to learn more about them; I must interact with them more. I'll return to the dorms... and start over by talking with the people closest to me."

"I see. Good on you for realizing that yourself." Sojiro massaged his chin.

"There's no need to exaggerate. May I come again sometime to enjoy your coffee?"

"My doors are always open."

"Ren's been through a lot too, from what I've heard... are you related to him?"

"Huh? Oh... how would I describe it... we're just acquaintances. Not family or anything."

"I may be overstepping my bounds, but why did you decide to take him in?"

"My reason, huh... probably because... he reminds me of my old self."

"That's all?" Yusuke slightly widened his eyes.

"Doesn't take much when someone takes consideration on someone else. Your art instructor-- um, 'former' art instructor. He must've felt something for you too, besides just stealing your talents."

"Truth to be told... I cannot hate him from the depths of my heart either."

Sojiro nodded slowly in understanding, deciding not to ask any further questions or pry more into his business.

"I should probably get going..." Yusuke attempted to stand up.

"Hey, are you sure about this? The painting, I mean. It'd be a waste to keep here." Sojiro looked over at the **'Sayuri'** hanging on the wall on his left.

"Even if I keep it at the dorms, it'd only be met with skepticism. I doubt it would want that. Adding a hint of color to an otherwise ordinary day... I'm sure my mother would've done the same." Yusuke looked at the painting.

"...I see. I'll hold on to it for you then."

"Thank you for the coffee." Yusuke stood up and grabbed his bag "...I'll come again."

A soft jingling sound echoed inside the café as Yusuke left the shop to the narrow streets of Yongen-Jaya.  
A gentle gust of wind blew over, taking tree leaves with it to fly in the blue sky and dance along with the sonata of the wind, leaving a beautiful sensation running through the young artist.  
He smiled to himself gracefully as staring at the sky above him knowing too well that the thing he treasured a lot will be in safe hands, the wind was playing with her dark blue locks and kissing his skin lovingly as a mother would do with her child.

He looked behind him once more at Leblanc's door before smiling to himself and dragging the suitcase behind him while listening carefully to the nature speaking to him. He walked further to the light he found, towards a new path...

...a path he chose for himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YUUUUUUUSSSSHHHHH!!! I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF!!!
> 
> Again, so so sorry for the late update. I've been busy with college and taking a short break from Wattpad to watch anime. It's been quite some time since I couldn't watch any last year cuz of senior high.
> 
> But now I'm a first-year computer engineering college student, babyyyyyy!!! =D
> 
> But now at last, here's the BIG reveal about Mikki's backstory you've all been dying to know for so long!  
> Quite a tragic one, eh? I really do feel so bad for her... having to live with the pain of taking her father's life for three years... which was an accident too!
> 
> MIKKI DESERVES LOVE AND HAPPINESS!!! GIVE HER PLENTY OF HUGS, GUYS!!!
> 
> Ren's story too... imma legit cri now ;-;
> 
> At least it's different now from his mad parents' clichéd backstory I've seen in many fanfics and used in the old Life Will Change.
> 
> Anyways, what do you think of this chapter? Liked it?
> 
> Let me know 😊
> 
>  
> 
> Published on: Fri/Oct 25/2019
> 
> Rand Talih💞


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